Year: 2025

New Delhi: Rohit Sharma’s future as India’s Test captain appears uncertain following a disappointing performance in Australia, where the team suffered a 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India also faced a heavy defeat against New Zealand at home in the previous series. The team’s decline under Rohit, combined with his own struggles with the bat, has led the BCCI to explore potential future leaders.

Rohit chose to leave himself out of the playing XI for the fifth Test against Australia but rejected calls for retirement, expressing his intention to play in the Test series against England. His spot in the squad remains uncertain, and his chances largely depend on his and the team’s performance in the ICC Champions Trophy. Even if he makes it to the England series, it is unlikely that he will stay on for the next WTC final. The BCCI, however, has already started considering other options.

Jasprit Bumrah was initially viewed as a leading candidate for the captaincy, but concerns about his fitness and workload may prevent him from taking on the role, as captains are expected to be available for most series. Shubman Gill was another potential choice, but his form in Test cricket has been inconsistent. Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal have now emerged as possible alternatives for the Test leadership. While Pant has enough experience in leadership roles, Jaiswal is relatively new to the idea, though the BCCI is reportedly keen on developing him for a future leadership role, given his promising performances in Tests.

“Bumrah’s chances of a long Test series or completing a full season will always be in doubt. The selectors may want a more stable option. Gill has been seen as a captaincy prospect but his returns in Test cricket have been average. Rishabh Pant could also be a strong candidate and maybe someone like Yashashvi Jaiswal can be groomed for the role,” a source was quoted as saying in a TOI report.

The report also mentions that the BCCI may consider handing the ODI captaincy to Shubman Gill, who has solidified his spot in the team through consistent and impressive performances. However, Gill might face competition from Hardik Pandya for the role.

Pandya, who previously led the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, could challenge Gill for the captaincy, with reports suggesting that Hardik’s leadership experience is being considered.”There have also been some discussions around Hardik Pandya being given the responsibility, given his experience,” said a Times of India report. Hardik captained India in T20Is from 2022 to 2024 but lost the role to Suryakumar Yadav due to concerns over his fitness. New India head coach Gautam Gambhir is reportedly leaning towards a captain who can play in most matches, influencing the decision.

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New Delhi: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been the cornerstone of India’s success, especially in ODI cricket, over the past decade. Their remarkable performances have made them key figures, and they are on the brink of achieving significant milestones both individually and as a partnership in the upcoming ODI series against England, set to begin on February 6.

Former India captain, Virat Kohli, is just 94 runs away from reaching 14,000 runs in ODI cricket. He has accumulated 13,906 runs from 295 matches, placing him second among Indian players for the most runs in the format. On the global scale, the 36-year-old needs 328 more runs to surpass Kumar Sangakkara’s record and become the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history. Sachin Tendulkar, with 18,426 runs in 463 matches, holds the top spot.

Captain Rohit Sharma, meanwhile, requires 355 runs to surpass Sourav Ganguly’s record of 11,221 runs in ODIs and become India’s third-highest run-scorer in the format. He has scored 10,866 runs from 265 matches so far.

Most runs by an Indian in ODIs:

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have the opportunity to join the exclusive group of the top five highest partnership run-scorers in ODIs. Tendulkar and Ganguly put together 8,227 runs in 176 innings as partners in ODIs. The current Indian duo has accumulated 5,280 runs in 95 innings, placing them sixth on the all-time list. They need 129 more runs in partnerships to surpass Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden’s record of 5,409 runs and break into the top five.

Most runs as partners in ODIs:

The duo will have a prime chance to achieve these individual and partnership records in the upcoming series against England or, later, in the Champions Trophy 2025, which starts on February 19. Their recent performances, particularly after underwhelming showings in the series against New Zealand and Australia, will be closely analyzed. The next couple of months will be crucial in shaping their future in international cricket.

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New Delhi: Indian captain Rohit Sharma was taken aback by a reporter’s inquiry regarding the effect of his Test form on his white-ball confidence during the press conference ahead of the three-match ODI series against England. The skipper quickly responded with a counter-question, emphasizing that he was focused on the upcoming challenge and wasn’t dwelling on recent performances.

“Hi, Rohit. Confident, going out to bat in a format where you are nicknamed ‘Hitman’ despite not getting too many runs in the Test format?” the reporter asked in Nagpur.

“What kind of question is that?” Rohit replied with a chuckle. “This is a different format, a different time. As usual, as cricketers, we know there will be ups and downs. I have gone through it a lot. We know every day is a fresh day, every series is a fresh series. I am looking forward to the challenge. Not looking at what has happened in the past. Clearly, you don’t. For me, there is no reason to look at the past too much. It’s important I focus on what’s coming up and what lies ahead for me. I will look to start the series on a high.”

Rohit endured a tough second half of 2024, with his Test performances declining and India suffering consecutive series losses to New Zealand and Australia under his leadership. Speculation arose about his potential retirement from Tests, and he even chose to miss the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. These three ODIs offer a welcome opportunity for him, as the format has been his strongest suit over the years.

We want to play a certain brand of cricket: Rohit Sharma
Discussing the team’s strategy for the series, Rohit mentioned that they would continue with the same aggressive approach they employed during the 2023 World Cup, which proved highly effective until the final against Australia.

‘Look, there is a certain type of cricket that we want to play, a certain brand of cricket we want to play,” Rohit said. “And whether it means we have to go and do what we did in the World Cup, we will try and do that. But again, look, the World Cup was one and a half years back. So, clearly we need to regroup as a group now and think about what we need to do here. Obviously, there is a lot of experience in the squad. So, you can’t keep telling them exactly how we need to prepare for every series. They understand what is expected of the team. So, there is not much talking about what kind of approach we want to have,” he added.

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