Rohit Sharma needs to determine whether he still has hunger for Test cricket: Sanjay Bangar

Rohit Sharma had a forgettable 2024 when it comes to the Tests. The right-handed batter scored just 619 runs across 14 games at an unimpressive average of 24.76. His captaincy too came under the scanners after India were whitewashed for the first time at home and it came at the hands of New Zealand. He was expected to come good in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but the stars did not align well for the India skipper. 

His depleting form became a talking point as he amassed just 31 runs in five innings against Australia at an appalling average of a mere 6.20. Subsequently, he stepped down from the fifth Test owing to poor form with the bat. Former India batting coach, Sanjay Bangar has commented on the rough patch and advised Rohit to prove his hunger by coming among runs in domestic cricket. 

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“When you are 37 years old, every failure hurts because a cricketer is a very proud person. When he sees the kind of performances he’s had in the past but can’t replicate them, and when young players are performing well, these factors weigh heavily on his mind. This might have influenced his decision. He needs to determine whether he still has the hunger to play Test cricket. If he does, that hunger must reflect in his actions,” said Bangar speaking on Star Sports.

“There’s been a lot of talk about playing domestic cricket. Players like Pujara and Rahane, who are on par with Rohit Sharma in stature, have been dropped in the past but have shown their hunger by playing in domestic cricket. Even today, they are sweating it out in domestic grounds, which are a big drop from the intensity of international cricket. Rohit has expressed his desire to continue playing for India and has said,” I am not going anywhere; I still want to play.’ If he follows through and performs in domestic cricket, no one can stop him. But that form and hunger must be evident,” he added.

Hunger and willingness to sacrifice are key at this stage: Deep Das Gupta 

Speaking of the same, former India cricketer, Deep Dasgupta added that only domestic cricket will help Rohit to get back to his usual self. He also said that despite Virat Kohli’s struggles with the outside off-stump line, the batter looked impressive, which was not the case with India opener throughout the series. 

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“The biggest question for me is whether they are still hungry. That hunger is crucial. At least one or two domestic games are important to assess this hunger. Class is not in question. Speaking of Rohit—excluding Virat—the way he batted, apart from that one poor shot across the line, he looked slightly better in his last innings, even though he didn’t score much. The hunger and willingness to sacrifice are key at this stage, after achieving so much individually and as a captain. The next Test series isn’t until June. Until then, there’s no domestic or red-ball cricket. Whatever red-ball cricket is available now in the next two weeks is critical,” Gupta added.