Ind v Aus 2020: 'Rohit Sharma provides no certainty with his overseas Test record,' says Brad Hogg

Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg opined that Rohit Sharma's record in overseas Test matches provides no certainty of him keeping his position in the side.

As a result, Hogg does not foresee Rohit Sharma captaining the Indian side against Australia in the absence of Virat Kohli.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be returning to India after the first Test at Adelaide for the birth of his first child and will miss the rest of the series. Cricket pundits are divided on the issue of who should captain the side in the absence of Kohli.

Brad Hogg took to Twitter to weigh in on Ajinkya Rahane, who is the designated vice-captain of the team, saying that he would do a good job with the captaincy.

“Rahane will do a fine job. The only other option would be Rohit but his record touring in Test Cricket provides no certainty of him holding a spot in the team,” Hogg tweeted.

Rahane will do a fine job. The only other option would be Rohit but his record touring in Test Cricket provides no certainty of him holding a spot in the team. #Cricket #INDvAUS https://t.co/7sPXlw1PB5

— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) November 16, 2020

Rohit Sharma has come good in the red-ball format recently after he started to open the innings. The right-handed batsman has amassed 556 runs from six innings opening the batting, and he is expected to start the series as an opener along with Mayank Agarwal.

However, all these six innings came in India and there is a stark contrast when comparing his performances in India to the ones outside.

Rohit Sharma has an average of 88.33 with six centuries and five fifties in India. However, the average drops to 26.32 when he travels abroad, and he is yet to score a Test century away from home.

Rohit Sharma has been lauded across cricketing circles for his leadership skills

The 33-year-old has been commended recently across cricketing circles for the leadership skills that he displayed during IPL 2020.

Rohit Sharma has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles including the recently concluded one and is unmatched in that aspect. He has also lead India to two international series victories - the Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy.

Happy that we gave people something to cheer for: @mipaltan' five-time IPL winning captain @ImRo45 👏🙌🏆#Dream11IPL #Final #MIvDC pic.twitter.com/l8aUTvtLaa

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 10, 2020

It needs to be seen if the management decides to go with the success rate in captaincy and ask Rohit Sharma to lead the side, or if it will stick with the choice of vice-captain Rahane taking over the reins in Virat Kohli's absence.