5 Indian cricketers who did not get enough chances under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

The stability brought about under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma is beyond any dispute. He had undertaken the Indian cricket team’s captaincy across all formats during a transitional phase and managed to do quite well with the added responsibility. As of June 2025, he stands as the full-time ODI skipper, having already retired from T20Is and Tests in June 2024 and May 2025, respectively.

Rohit’s stint as captain was characterised by quite a few injuries within the team. Despite that, it brought the stability which India were after. His record while captaining has been quite decent. However, many individuals under his reign did not get adequate opportunities to prove themselves. This may have been the case due to team balance, unfortunate timing, or selection dynamics.

5 Indians who didn’t get enough chances under Rohit Sharma

5. Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari was fast-tracked to the Test team in the overseas unit on the basis of promising performances in the domestic circuit. Prior to Rohit being made the full-time captain, Vihari had played 13 Tests. Vihari had done quite well in the limited opportunities he got at the international level until then.

However, Vihari was never in contention for any spot after the tour of England in 2021. He was there with the side since the start of the series. His sole opportunity came in the rescheduled fifth Test, which had Jasprit Bumrah as the standby captain. Coming in at No. 3, Vihari could aggregate only 31 runs off 150 deliveries. The 31-year-old has not played a Test since then.

4. Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur was considered an asset for all formats of the game. Not only for the national team, Shardul was a consistent performer for Mumbai too and had put in numerous notable displays for both the team before Rohit’s appointment as full-time India skipper. Over time, he made a reputation for being a wicket-taker at crucial junctures and someone capable of striking a few lusty blows with the bat. 

However, Shardul played only three Tests in 2023 under Rohit’s leadership and never got a fair crack at international cricket. It was expected that Shardul would be considered as one of the key members of the white-ball squad. However, he played only 24 limited-overs fixtures under Rohit and was completely sidelined after a point.

3. Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma had already been out of the running as far his place in the white-ball squads. Ishant’s last T20I and ODI came in 2013 and 2016, respectively. This was mainly due to the peers younger than him taking over the scene. The resurgence of Jasprit Bumrah and emergence of Jasprit Bumrah meant there was no room for Ishant, who himself had experienced a considerable decline in output.     

The seasoned pro was a regular under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Ishant had performed quite well with Kohli at the helm. Ishant’s bowling average was much better under Kohli’s reign (25.85) than his career average (32.40). However, he never got to feature for Rohit as the latter nurtured a fresh crop of pace bowlers under him.

2. Yuzvendra Chahal 

Yuzvendra Chahal was a regular in the Indian white-ball, especially T20I team, prior to Rohit becoming the full-time skipper. Chahal had played under Rohit’s captaincy when he had been the interim leader. The shrewd leg-spinner was an integral part of the ODI squad during the home series against Sri Lanka in 2017 and the Asia Cup in 2018.

Interestingly, Chahal was never considered an option with the red ball. However, despite impressive performances in the domestic circuit, he was never drafted into the XI once Rohit was made the full-time skipper. Although Chahal played a few games here and there under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy while Rohit was rested, he was never given a proper run to display his expertise.     

1. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan’s final Tests and T20Is came well prior to Rohit taking over full-time captaincy from Kohli. The once-ever-consistent Dhawan’s form had waned drastically over the years, falling out of the national selection race. However, Dhawan was in no mood of letting go of the opportunity of representing his country in the ODI format.

In fact, he even led the ODI unit in the absence of Rohit and Kohli in 12 games. Under Dhawan’s captaincy, India won seven, lost three, and had two no results. However, Dhawan was never tested at the top of the order after Shubman Gill rose through the ranks. A dismal three-match series of Bangladesh (18 runs in three innings) was the final time he represented the Men in Blue.