Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has expressed concerns regarding India’s Test captain, Rohit Sharma’s position in the team, given his ongoing poor form. This follows India’s 184-run defeat in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Pathan suggests that Rohit’s place in the team is primarily due to his captaincy, rather than his batting performance.
Rohit’s struggles with the bat have become a talking point, particularly after a series of low scores in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His poor form is considered a major contributing factor to India’s disappointing performance against Australia.
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In five innings, Rohit has scored a mere 31 runs, averaging 6.20, including two ducks. This is the second-lowest series average for an Indian top-six batter in Tests played in Australia.
His difficulty in converting starts and apparent lack of rhythm against Australia’s bowling attack have placed him under significant pressure. On Day 5, Rohit faced 40 balls, scoring only nine runs before being dismissed by Pat Cummins.
“A player who has made about 20,000 runs—yet the way Rohit is struggling now, it seems his form is not supporting him at all. What’s happening now is that he is the captain, so he is playing. If he were not the captain, he might not be playing right now. You would have had a set team. K.L. Rahul would have been playing at the top, Jaiswal would have been there, Shubman Gill would have been there. If we talk about reality, considering how he is struggling with the bat, there might not have been a place for him in the playing XI,” Irfan Pathan told Star Sports.
Pathan believes that without the captaincy, players like KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, or Shubman Gill would be more likely to open the innings, given their current form. He contends that Rohit’s position is secured by his captaincy, especially with India needing a win to draw the series.
“But because he is the captain, and you want to win the next match to draw the series, he stays in the team. But his form is so poor. Even in India, even before coming here, he wasn’t scoring runs, and he still hasn’t scored runs. This is a very disappointing scene when I see Rohit Sharma batting. Because whenever I see Rohit Sharma batting, I always want to see him bat, whether it is Test cricket or one-day cricket. But now, his form, the way he is going forward, whether it is his mindset or the coordination with his body, I can’t see that at all,” he added.
Rohit’s performance in early 2024 against England, where he scored 455 runs, presented a stark contrast to his current struggles. The series against England fuelled hopes of a Test resurgence, but his form has since declined significantly.
The Boxing Day Test highlighted Rohit’s vulnerabilities against the Australian attack. Despite occasional displays of resilience, he failed to make a substantial contribution. His longest innings in the series, a 40-ball, nine-run effort, epitomises his difficulties throughout the tour.
