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Former India player and head coach Ravi Shastri opined that although Rohit Sharma has a rich legacy as white-ball captain, he could not quite emulate the same in the longest format of the game. The opening batter led India across all formats, and guided the team to multiple ICC trophies in white-ball events, including the recent 2025 Champions Trophy.
As Test captain, Rohit Sharma led the team in 24 Tests, out of which there were 12 wins and nine losses. Under his leadership, India qualified for the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) Final, but eventually lost to Australia by a massive margin at The Oval.
The final leg of The Hitman's journey as red-ball player and captain was forgettable as it included an unprecedented 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand at home, followed by a 1-3 series loss in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
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With Rohit Sharma set to feature as a player for the first time since losing the ODI captaincy to Shubman Gill ahead of the Australia tour, Ravi Shastri hailed the opening batter's impact as a leader.
"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.
The former coach expects Rohit Sharma to make a massive impact in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, after comprehensively working on his fitness during the off-season.
"Fitness wise there is no problem with Virat, 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 added.
The three-match ODI series against Australia marks the international return for the veteran batter, with his last appearance for India coming during the 2025 Champions Trophy campaign in the February-March window.
"A lot of Rohit fans would be MI fans" - Ravi Shastri on the indisputable fan wars in India
Endless debates between fans over their favorite players, especially on social media, have been a constant theme in Indian cricket, which has arguably flared up in recent years.
Ravi Shastri admitted that it is an unavoidable facet in the country since there is such a large difference of opinion among a massive fanbase
"It's just likes and probably where you come from, which state you come from, which team you are playing for. Like a lot of Virat fans would be RCB fans. A lot of Rohit fans would be MI fans. It has always been the case. Honestly, with these two players, the fans are universal. MS had a huge fan following, and that is the case in India," Shastri stated.
The first ODI between India and Australia is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 19, at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
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