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Former India Head Coach Opens Up About Rohit Sharma's Captaincy In Tests
Follow UsRohit will be seen in action for India for the first time since March during the ODI series against Australia, starting October 19 (Sunday)
Over the years, Rohit Sharma has been an outstanding white-ball captain and player. He has won multiple titles for India and has also led Mumbai Indias (MI) to five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles. However, he could not transform his white-ball captaincy credentials in Test cricket, having won just 12 of the 24 Tests he led.
His captaincy credentials took a massive hit when New Zealand blanked India 3-0 at home and then they succumbed to a 3-1 series defeat in Australia, which brought curtains on his Test captaincy.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes Rohit was not as good a Test captain as he was in limited-overs.
"He's won Asia Cups as well and IPL trophies [apart from ICC trophies], much like MS Dhoni. MS won everything. With MS, it was he full monty. Both of them are outstanding white-ball captains. I won't say the same when it comes to Tests because the attention span is not the same," Ravi Shastri said on The Grade Cricketer.
However, Shastri believes Rohit will have a massive say in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, given how hard he has worked on his fitness.
"Fitness-wise there is no problem with Virat [Kohli], and you see Rohit now, he has really worked. He has lost a lot of weight, he has worked hard on his fitness. So, that hunger, that desire is there," Shastri said.
Rohit, along with Kohli, returns to the Indian set-up for the first time since they clinched the Champions Trophy in March. The ODIs against Australia will mark a new era in Indian cricket under a new leader in Shubman Gill. The first match will get underway in Perth on October 19 (Sunday).