Ravi Shastri, who used to be the head coach of India, has made a strong statement about Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni's leadership in Test cricket. Rohit Sharma is back with the Indian team for the next three-match ODI series against Australia.
Everyone is watching him as he tries to make a strong comeback on the international stage. Shastri said before the first ODI against Australia in Perth that Rohit is still one of the most important leaders in white-ball cricket, but he hasn't been impressed by his record as Test captain.
Rohit was the captain of India's white-ball team and led them to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and many Asia Cups and IPL titles.
People often compare the Indian opener's leadership in limited-overs cricket to that of MS Dhoni, who is also seen as a game-changer for India. But Rohit's time as Test captain was not very good. India won 12 and lost 9 of the 24 tests that Rohit led.
This included a bad loss to Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final and a disappointing 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home. The 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia also ended in a 1-3 loss.
Under MS Dhoni's leadership, India won 27 Test matches, lost 18, and drew 15. Shastri, on the other hand, said that Rohit's Test captaincy may not have been as good as his white-ball captaincy, but his experience and desire to win are still unmatched.
On The Grade Cricketer, Ravi Shastri stated: "Like MS Dhoni, he has won IPL trophies in addition to Asia Cups (apart from ICC trophies)." Everything went to MS. It was the whole monty with MS.
They are both excellent white-ball captains. Since attention spans vary, I won't say the same thing about tests. In the off-season, Rohit has put a lot of effort into getting fit after losing the ODI captaincy to Shubman Gill. In order to be ready for the Australian challenge, Rohit has lost weight and improved his agility.
Shastri added, "There is no problem with Virat in terms of fitness, and you see Rohit now; he has really worked," after being impressed by Rohit's diligence in improving his physical condition.
