India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma faced a tough time during the recently concluded five-match Test series against Australia. The 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy saw India falter as it lost the series by 1-3.
Rohit, despite his stature as one of the finest cricketers of India, had a dismal outing with the bat. Featuring in three matches, he managed to amass merely 31 runs across five innings, a performance that sparked widespread criticism. The chatter intensified when Rohit Sharma opted out of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with many former cricketing greats speculating that his Test career might have reached its twilight.
However, the 37 years old opener who holds the distinction of being India’s leading run-scorer in the World Test Championship swiftly quashed any retirement rumours. Speaking candidly, Rohit expressed his unwavering desire to continue playing Test cricket and his determination to contribute to India’s victories in the longest format.
The former Indian all-rounder and batting coach Sanjay Bangar who shares a long association with Rohit offered a pragmatic take on the situation. Sanjay emphasised that if Rohit intends to prolong his Test career, he must prove his mettle by scoring runs in domestic cricket. According to him, this step would mirror the journey of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, two seasoned players who returned to domestic cricket to reclaim their spots in the national side.
During a show, Sanjay Bangar stated, “When you are 37 years old…and you see that you are not able to perform at the same level like you used to do before and you see that the young players are performing better…he must have weighed these factors in his mind when he took that decision (to step aside from the fifth Test in Australia).”
Sanjay Bangar added, “He has to find out whether he is still hungry for Test cricket, and if he is, then it should show in his actions, like playing domestic cricket, which has been talked about a lot. Even at this stage, he (Rohit) has expressed interest in playing for India. He has come forward and said, ‘I am not going anywhere; I still want to play.’ So, to follow that up, I am sure he will score big in domestic cricket; then nobody can stop him, but he has to show that form.”
Dinesh Lad, Rohit’s childhood coach, also weighed in on the matter. In an interview, Lad also said that Rohit Sharma should play domestic cricket in order to regain his form.
Drawing parallels with other veterans, both Sanjay Bangar and Dinesh Lad seem to advocate the idea that returning to domestic cricket could be the key for Rohit to silence his critics and cement his place in the Test arena once again.
Sanjay Bangar further added, “Cheteshwar Pujara also got dropped, so did Ajinkya Rahane, and their stature is in no way less or more than Rohit Sharma’s. They are on the same pedestal. Rahane and Pujara are still breaking a sweat (in domestic cricket). Rohit has to show that kind of hunger.”
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