5 Instances When Rohit Sharma Did Not Walk The Talk As Indian Captain

Rohit Sharma leads Team India in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. So far, he has led the team for one-and-a-half years in many bilateral series and a few multi-nation tournaments. Rohit Sharma was promoted as India skipper in the aftermatch of Virat Kohli stepping down as captain.

However, being an Indian captain is not an easy task. During his short stint as Indian captain till now, Rohit Sharma has faced many criticisms for his ineffective leadership in key events. He also forwarded some wrong actions and words which did not suit a national skipper. Here we talk about 5 instances when Rohit Sharma did not walk the talk as Indian captain.

When India used spin-friendly dry pitches against Australia in the 2023 Test series which were also touted as poor by ICC, Rohit Sharma supported the team’s decision. The Indian skipper said that other teams used pitch conditions in their favour and India can also use this strategy.

However, many cricket experts and former players reckoned that teams should not indulge too much in pitch and wicket formation for home games. As a skipper, Sharma should have taken a neutral opinion on the matter. As a captain of a cricket giant like India, he should have stayed away from making such controversial statements on camera.

Just ahead of T20 World Cup 2022 in October 2022, Ravichandran Ashwin was brought back into the T20I team. With his good show, he was also picked in T20 World Cup squad. However, he failed during the tournament and many called it a wrong decision.

Yuzvendra Chahal, who was the most successful spinner for India for the last 4-5 years in T20Is, was benched in all games and not picked in a single encounter. India faced a huge defeat in the semi-final against England.

As a skipper, Rohit Sharma should have backed a spinner who was a consistent performer for the team over the last few years. However, he chose a veteran spinner who only played a handful of T20I games in the prior years of the T20 World Cup.

A big shock for Team India and its fans arrived in March 2022, when the Test specialists Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from the national team under newly appointed- skipper Rohit Sharma.

Hence, Rohit Sharma backed the plan of dropping two Test legends right after taking the Test skipper’s hat. Ultimately, both Pujara and Rahane again made it to the Test team with their awesome performances in domestic and county cricket.

As a skipper, Rohit Sharma should have stayed with veterans like Pujara and Rahane for more time. The duo were the chief architect behind Team India’s historic Test series victory against Australia at The Gabba in January 2021.

The next two instances are from WTC Final 2023. Shubman Gill’s controversial dismissal in the final innings of WTC final 2023 became a highlight of the match. The third umpire termed Gill out even after Cameron Green grabbed an improper catch with ball touching the ground.

As a skipper, Rohit Sharma should have respected the third umpire’s decision post the defeat. However, he rather made a controversial statement by saying that ICC events should have more cameras and showed his distrust in ICC-nominated umpires.

It should also be noted that India faced a huge defeat by 209 runs in the match so even if Gill was given not-out, there was less chance that India could have pulled off a victory in the match. Also, India was chasing the highest-ever target of 444 in Test history, which was almost deemed impossible since the start of the 4th innings against Australia’s bowling attack.

Another instance when Rohit Sharma did not walk the talk as Indian captain is the excuses he gave after WTC final 2023 loss to Australia. Sharma reckoned three-match series for WTC final.

He also questioned the timing of the match, which took place just after IPL 2023. However, the dates for the final were announced in advance in 2021 only when the tournament began.

Rohit Sharma also asked why ICC WTC final only happens in England and not outside. Making such excuses does not suit a team’s captain, especially after losing the game. He should have rather accepted the team’s defeat and failures in the clash against the Aussies.

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah