Follow UsRohit Sharma’s legacy is under question after India’s disastrous 3-1 series defeat to Australia in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The loss has clouded judgements, with doubts over whether Rohit will continue to lead India for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Former English cricketer David Lloyd, however, hailed Rohit’s legacy, calling it ‘fantastic’ and added that his three double centuries have helped to transform the landscape of the 50-over format. From a numbers perspective, India have won 34 out of the 48 ODIs under Rohit’s captaincy, with a win percentage of 70.83%.
"Rohit’s got a fantastic legacy. To lead India, I go back to how Ganguly galvanized and made that team tough. He seems to me to be a more gentle person than Ganguly. In batting, he's got great numbers. He's got three double centuries in ODIs, which transformed the game. So he's got a real good legacy," Lloyd told talkSport Cricket.
But acknowledging Rohit's lows, Lloyd insisted that the ‘ups and downs’ are part and parcel of the sport.
"He's got a lot of credit. When you say the highs and the lows, that's sport, that’s how it is. You're up and down, you win and lose. There are cheers and boos. You get out, you get back on the horse, you do what you do."
However, earlier on the same podcast, the 77-year-old wasn’t as supportive of Virat Kohli continuing in the longest format, stating that the veteran should be making up his own mind about his future.
"Virat Kohli knows he is past his best, which will hurt. When India come to England, you know where he's going to be. Just outside off stump, and the business area will be the slips. At 36 years of age, up in the mind, he knows what he should be doing,” Lloyd said.
He also compared Kohli to some of the greats of the game, including Ricky Ponting, who was at a stretch of lean patch towards the fag end of his career. But Lloyd warned that Gautam Gambhir will have a huge say on this team, and it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
"Your reflexes gently go. Ponting said he carried on a bit longer than he usually would have. The selectors should know. He is one of the greatest players we have seen, but he is past his best. The coach, Gautam Gambhir, will have an enormous say, a big say because he has been in that dressing room. He has lost time. His time is over," Lloyd said.
India’s next ODI series is against England, and both Kohli and Rohit are expected to be back in the setup, with an eye on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.