3 major defeats that ended Rohit Sharma’s Test captaincy

Rohit-Sharma. (Photo source: X)

Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy reins from Virat Kohli in Test cricket in 2022. While the team did have some memorable moments under Rohit, they were nowhere close to the highs of the Kohli era.

Under Rohit’s leadership, India played 24 Test matches, winning 12, losing nine, and drawing three. One of the best moments of Rohit’s captaincy in the red-ball format was India’s 2-1 win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in 2023, and the 4-1 win against England in a five-match Test series.

Both these victories came in India. The Asian giants also made it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final in 2023, where they faced Australia.

3 major defeats that ended Rohit Sharma’s Test captaincy

3. WTC 2023 Final vs Australia

India met Australia in the WTC final in 2023 at The Oval in London. Jasprit Bumrah missed this clash due to a back injury. Australia posted a mammoth 469 in the first innings. In reply, India were bowled out for 296. While Rohit was dismissed cheaply, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur scored gritty half-centuries. In their second innings, the Aussies declared at 270/8, setting the Asian side a target of 444 to chase down batting second. Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane were dismissed in their 40s as India were bowled out for 234.

India lost the match by 209 runs. However, they started the next cycle of the WTC on a winning note, beating the West Indies 1-0 in a two-match series in the Caribbean. This series also marked the international debut of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who opened the batting with Rohit and finished as the highest run-scorer.

2. India vs New Zealand in 2024

India hosted New Zealand in a three-match Test series at home in 2024. india had not lost a home Test series since 2012, when they lost to the Alastair Cook-led England 1-2. Rohit Sharma and Co. lost the first Test by eight wickets in Bengaluru and the second in Pune by 113 runs. The win in Bengaluru was the Kiwis’ first in the longest format against India in 36 years.

New Zealand went on to emerge victorious in the third Test in Mumbai by 25 runs to win three Tests in the same series for the first time. Meanwhile, India were whitewashed at home for the first time since 1999, as Tom Latham’s side overwhelmed them. It is also important to mention that New Zealand won the series without Kane Williamson, who is their most accomplished batter against spin bowling.

1. Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat in the 2024-2025 season turned out to be the final nail in the coffin as far as Rohit’s captaincy tenure in Tests was concerned. India started the five-match series with a thumping 295-run win in Perth. Rohit missed this game due to personal reasons. He returned to play the second Test but batted at No. 6 to allow the in-form opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul to continue at the top. However, the Mumbai batter could only manage scores of three and six, respectively. India lost the match by 10 wickets as the Aussies drew level.

The third Test in Brisbane was drawn before the fourth and fifth encounters in Melbourne and Sydney were comprehensively won by Australia. Rohit dropped himself from the side for the final Test after scoring just 31 runs in five innings in the series. Australia won the series 3-1 to reclaim the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy. During the middle of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, on May 7, Rohit announced his retirement from Test cricket and Shubman Gill was subsequently appointed as the captain.

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