Team India selectors to remove Rohit Sharma from Test captaincy

The national selectors have decided to remove Rohit Sharma as captain of India’s Test team, and go with a new leader for the tour of England that starts next month. It remains to be seen if Rohit travels to England as a specialist opening batsman. The Indian Express learns that the Indian cricket board will back the selectors’ decision.

It’s a move not driven by a need for transition or to cull out aging players, but understood to be based on Rohit’s performances and his form in red-ball cricket. It is learnt that the 38-year-old will continue to be in India’s ODI plans.

This newspaper had reported in March how the board was keen on Rohit to lead on the England tour after his success in the ICC Champions Trophy. Rohit, too, on a recent appearance on former Australian captain Michael Clarke’s podcast, ‘Beyond 23’, had talked about his excitement in leading an attack with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj in England. The selectors had a series of discussions last month over Rohit’s future in the Indian Test team, and also deliberated on the issue in Mumbai on Tuesday, before sharing their vision with the BCCI.

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“The selectors’ thought process is clear. They want a new leader for the England tour and Rohit doesn’t fit in as a captain, especially considering his red-ball form. They want to groom a young leader for the next Test cycle and the selection committee has informed the BCCI that Rohit won’t lead the team,” a source in the Indian board informed this newspaper.

It is understood that the decision-makers don’t want to repeat the lack of stability seen during India’s tour of Australia. Rohit had struggled in that series, averaging just 6.20 in five innings and also dropped himself for the final Test. In the Test series prior to that, against New Zealand at home late last year, he averaged just 15.16 in three Tests.

Considering his red-ball form, the selectors are hesitant in making him the captain. As a specialist batsman, he can be dropped from the playing XI if performances don’t stack up, but it gets complicated if he is the captain. It also can have an adverse effect on the team, those in the know say, as it was felt on the Australia tour.

Rohit Sharma’s poor recent form

Rohit didn’t travel to Australia last year for the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his second child and Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the innings. When he returned for the second Test, Rohit demoted himself in the batting order, then returned as opener for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, before dropping himself from the match in Sydney.

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Rohit had averaged just 6.20 in five innings and also dropped himself for the final Test during India’s tour to Australia. (AP) Rohit had averaged just 6.20 in five innings and also dropped himself for the final Test during India’s tour to Australia. (AP)

India had won the first Test under Bumrah’s captaincy but went on to lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India had also lost the home series to New Zealand 0-3 under Rohit.

Rohit averages 40.57 from 67 Tests. That drops to 31.01 in Tests outside India. He averages 24.38 in Australia and 16.63 in South Africa but the average jumps to 44.66 in England, where India play next. As an opener, he averages nearly the same (44.54) in Tests in England.

On May 6, head coach Gautam Gambhir had said any decision regarding Rohit’s future in the team would be taken by the selectors.

“First things first, a coach’s job isn’t selecting the team. It is the job of the selectors to select. The coach only selects the 11 who will play a match. Neither those who coached before me were selectors nor am I a selector,” Gambhir said at ABP News’ ‘India At 2047′ Summit.

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When pressed further about the veterans’ (Rohit and Virat Kohli) future, Gambhir said no player should be pressed into retirement.

“Till the time they are performing, they should be a part of the team. When you start and when you end is your individual decision. No coach, no selector, no BCCI can tell you when you should call it quits. If you perform, then why 40, you can jolly well play till 45, who’s stopping you?” he said.

“That (playing the 2027 ODI World Cup) will depend on their performance. Only that can ensure their selection. And what should I say about their performance? The world saw how they performed in the Champions Trophy,” Gambhir had said.

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