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Rohit Sharma-led India lost another ICC trophy, going down by 209 runs in the WTC final against Australia on Sunday (June 11).
Australia was the deserved winner after dominating the game for the whole five days. Having won the toss, Rohit Sharma put Australia into bat and they produced a performance for the ages.
Recovering from the wickets of Usman Khawaja, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, Australia went on to post a massive 326 on the board courtesy of an exceptional century by Travis Head. Steve Smith completed his century on Day 2 as Australia posted 449 in their first innings.
India had a daunting task at their hand and yet again in a crucial knockout game, the top order faltered as they were reduced to 71/4.
Impressive knocks from Ravindra Jadeja (48) and Shardul Thakur (51) along with an incredible 89 from Ajinkya Rahane helped India to post 296 in their first innings.
Australia eventually declared their 2nd innings on 270/8, giving India an unrealistic target of 444 runs. Shubman Gill and the skipper Rohit started well before Pujara and Rohit stitched together a fifty-run stand to steady the ship.
Following the quick wickets of Rohit and Pujara, it was Kohli and Rahane who ignited the Indian hopes with a brilliant partnership and ensured they went to stumps on Day 4 without any more hiccups.
But what transpired on Day 5 was nothing short of a shambolic performance from the No. 1 Test team in the world. Virat and Rahane played loose shots away from their body and once they were gone, India had no way back in the Test. The Aussies ran through the lower order, handing Australia a massive win.
Following their defeat, Rohit suggested having a best of 3 finals for the next edition of the WTC cycle. Despite their defeat against Australia, India have performed consistently in this format and Rohit should still continue being the captain of the Test side.
Along with Kohli and Pujara, Rohit Sharma has been the shining light in the batting department for India.
With that said, let us have a look at three reasons why Rohit Sharma should be retained as India's Test captain.
#1 Rohit has been the best batter for India in the WTC history
Ever since being elevated as the Indian skipper across formats, Rohit has been far from his usual languid self.
He has struggled to score consistently, especially in the white ball format but when it comes to the purest form of the game, Rohit has been one of the top performers from India.
In 11 matches in the recently concluded WTC cycle, Rohit racked up 758 runs at an average of 42.11. Interestingly, 'Hitman' scored 1,094 runs at an average of 60.77 in the 2019-21 WTC cycle.
He has played the waiting game to perfection against the new ball in away conditions and also scored his first away century in the last tour of England back in 2021.
He has looked in ominous touch whenever he has bid his time in the middle and even in the WTC final, he was set for a big one before playing a loose shot.
Rohit has been found wanting on a few occasions while captaining the side. However some of his decisions later on in the WTC final was praised by several pundits.
He is just in the initial part of his Test captaincy career and should continue to lead the side despite another debacle in an ICC event.
#2 Exceptional man-management skills and calm demeanor
Rohit was handed over India's captaincy due to his exceptional captaincy record for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Under his leadership, MI won five titles in just nine years. He also remains the most successful IPL captain in the company of MS Dhoni.
Several young players including the likes of Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Siraj have lavished praise on Rohit and the way he handles his players.
He might sound a bit foul-mouthed on the field but it is very clear from his players that how he treats them and how desperately he wants them to produce the goods.
Just like MS Dhoni, Rohit has always been a laid-back guy who allows his players to express themselves and play to their strengths.
Unlike the Kohli era where we could see the natural aggression from the whole team, Rohit's induction as a captain has surely helped the team handle difficult situations in a calm and composed demeanor.
#3 Rohit plays to the mind of the opposition and is unflustered in a crunch situation
In the WTC final, we witnessed that Rohit remained calm under difficult circumstances despite the Aussies piling on the agony with some exhilarating batsmanship. After allowing Travis Head to get away in the first innings, he set a leg trap for Head in the second innings just when he came out in the middle.
That didn't initially really yield the results he wanted but soon, Head was foxed by Ravindra Jadeja. Some of his calls on Day 4 were spot on and his bowling changes yielded the results. However, the batters couldn't quite deliver in the crunch situations as India went down by a massive margin.
“There is absolutely no hurry in finding a Test captain. Rohit is fit and fine. Whatever the outcome of WTC is, he will remain India captain in Tests. But yes, we are still unsure how long he will continue playing Test," a senior BCCI official was quoted by the InsideSport.
"We have not had a discussion regarding that. But sometime after World Cup, we will have discussions with Rohit."
