'Worst test captain India's ever had’ - Netizens slam Rohit Sharma amid abysmal form, captaincy

3,3,6,10, 3 - That’s how India captain Rohit Sharma fared in the ongoing Australia tour. The 37-year-old missed the opening Test of the series in Perth, which the visitors won by 295 runs. Before the Pink Ball Test, he featured in the warm-up game against Prime Minister XI, where he scored three runs and has been extremely ineffective ever since. His captaincy too has faced scrutiny as India have failed to establish their authority in the middle.

In the Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, Rohit faced the flak for starting the day with Mohammed Siraj and, later, switching immediately after just one over. Former cricketer Simon Katich also called him out for being a reactive captain rather than proactive. India haven’t been attacking with the ball and the onus also falls on the bowlers, particularly Siraj as far as the fourth Test is concerned. The 30-year-old leaked 122 runs in the 23 overs he bowled in the match, without any success.

Meanwhile, Rohit promoted himself to opening in the Melbourne Test and that move failed, which invited more criticism. The pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal did a great job in the first three Tests but to find form, the captain moved to the top of the order, but he lasted only five balls as Pat Cummins dismissed him in the second over of the game. The Nagpur-born tried to pull the pacer but failed to time it as Scott Boland picked up a simple catch.

Also Read: Simon Katich slams Rohit Sharma’s reactive captaincy

Rohit’s numbers in Australia are very poor as well. The opener played 10 Tests, scoring 430 runs at an average of 25.29. For India to bounce back, the captain needs to lead by example in the remainder of the series, especially with the World Test Championship finale spot up for grabs. Even if not helping by scoring runs, Rohit's captaincy skills need to improve for the visitors to show some spirit.

In the meantime, the cricketer has been subjected to immense criticism, as both former cricketers and fans have been critical of his performance.

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