Rohit Sharma needs to be clear about his role as opener in Tests

“Something like this will be a very low point in my career, having lost three games at home. And I fully take responsibility of that. As a captain and as a leader as well, I have not been at the best of my abilities right from the start of the series. And with the bat, I have not been good enough.”
This was what Rohit Sharma said at the press conference following India’s defeat in the Mumbai Test on Sunday, November 3. The Indian batting order completely collapsed once again at the Wankhede stadium, barring the lone warrior Rishabh Pant, and Rohit was the first to come under severe criticism. His rash shot, sort of opened the doors for the New Zealand bowlers to wreak havoc on the rest of the batting order, which has shown signs of vulnerability throughout the series.
When the teammates had looked up to their captain for inspiration, he would fail miserably in the end as India suffered a damning 0-3 series loss at their own backyard. Rohit’s dismissal numbers in the series paint a sorry picture as he managed 91 runs in 6 innings at an average of 15.17 at a strike-rate of 68.42.
But almost a year ago, this wasn’t the case for Rohit in the Indian team. While we admit, the format was different, when India needed Rohit to play a role for the team in the ODI World Cup 2023, the captain put his hand up and became the aggressor.
Rohit had clarity about his role, and scored 597 runs at an average of 54.27 at a strike-rate of 125.94. A few months after the heartbreak in Ahmedabad, India needed Rohit to play a similar role, this time in the T20 World Cup 2024.
In the 8 matches, Rohit scored 257 runs at a strike-rate of 156.70 and an average of 36.71. This would lead India to their first T20 World Cup title in 17 years and Rohit’s role as the aggressor received a lot of praise.
Now in November, the Indian captain looks stuck in a Test team that looks short of confidence and struggling to find any form of inspiration.
While many have started clamouring with retirement calls for Rohit and Virat Kohli on social media, one thing people need to remember is that India captain has scored the most hundreds for his side since the World Test Championship cycles started.
So the talent and ability should never be doubted but the issue seems to be the lack of clarity of role for himself as an opener. It seems like Rohit is neither here nor there. The Indian captain has been overshadowed when it comes to aggression and scoring at a quick pace by his young opening partner in Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Jaiswal has over a 1000 runs this year in Tests alone, is the second-highest overall in the run-getters list behind Joe Root and plays at a strike-rate of 76.74. So clearly the Indian captain has to let Jaiswal take the lead with his approach.
The opener has been struggling when it comes to curbing his natural game which is to attack. When he tried to attack out of nowhere on Sunday, Rohit had no control over his shots and it felt abrupt. Ultimately it led to his downfall and played a factor in the team’s loss.
His dismissal in the series and how it happened also showed how Rohit feels stuck in the team. In the first innings in Bengaluru, he tried to attack Southee and got bowled. After that, the next 4 innings saw Rohit get out trying to defend before his rash shot in Mumbai on Sunday.
Now with India shifting focus to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, the role of Rohit will be key. In the past, captains like Kohli and Rahane have stepped up in their respective batting roles during the tour and delivered wins for their sides.
The upcoming tour needs to see Rohit step up, after he comes in time for the 2nd Test, as his batting will be key if India are to stand a chance to win the series and make a miraculous entry into the World Test Championship Final.
Rohit has always silenced his critics with some thunderbolts out of the blue in recent times and fans would expect the same in a few weeks time. But for that, the Hitman of the Indian cricket team needs to find his place and role in the team soon.