Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has been facing flak from cricket fans and experts over India’s 209-run loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The team was expected to end the drought of ICC trophies at The Oval, given their superb run in Test cricket in the past two years. But the wait for another title extended as Australia took away the prestigious mace on the back of some superb performances.
Rohit has been one of the most successful captains in the Indian Premier League, winning five titles for his team Mumbai Indians. However, he has failed to replicate that success in Indian colours. In the past 24 months, India have lost three multination tournaments – Asia Cup 2022, T20 World Cup 2022 and WTC Final 2023 – under his captaincy. With another ICC event scheduled to take place later this year, Rohit’s captaincy future will depend a lot on India’s performance in the marquee event on home soil.
While a section of former cricketers has asked for wholesale changes in the Indian dressing room, many have extended their support to Rohit. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has put his weight behind Rohit’s leadership qualities, stating that India qualifying for the second consecutive WTC final speaks enough about the 36-year-old’s captaincy.
“I would be keeping the faith with Rohit. I think he is a very good captain. I like his aggressive approach; he looks to be as positive as he can be. He has had a lot of success as a leader. Look at his IPL record for Mumbai (Indians). Just because India didn’t win the Test World Championship doesn’t mean Rohit is not the right guy to lead India. The fact that India qualified again, they are the only team to make consecutive finals, says a lot about how they have played their Test cricket over the past four years. It is also a very important time for stability with the One-Day World Cup right around the corner,” Clarke told RevSports.
The cricketer-turned-commentator further highlighted Rohit’s contribution as a premier batter while leading Team India across formats.
“He has done well as a batter as well. Think of his hundred in the last series. Losing a one-off final doesn’t make him a bad captain and nor does it make India a bad team. To make consecutive finals isn’t easy. What it means is that India was the only team to play consistently well over a period of four years. To do so in Test cricket is commendable and I would urge you to look at that as well before making any kind of judgment call,” Clarke added.
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