Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in jeopardy as Team India’s ‘Mr Fix-It’ vies for leadership role: Report

While doubts about Rohit Sharma's future prevail, a senior player in the Indian team has now positioned himself to take the World Cup-winning captain's job, as per a report by The Indian Express. The senior player, who is portraying themselves as ‘Mr Fix-It’, is convinced that young players in the Indian team are not yet ready to take over leadership role, and is projecting himself as an interim option.

Rohit's struggle in Test cricket:

After starting the year on a high with 455 runs in the England series, the Indian captain's form has taken a hit. In 26 innings in 14 Tests in 2024, Rohit scored 619 runs at an average of 24.76.

By the end of his Melbourne flop, Rohit's average stood at just 6.20, the lowest ever by a touring captain (at least five innings) in Australia in a Test series. The record was previously held by legendary West Indies bowler Courtney Walsh, who averaged 7.75 on the 1996-97 tour of Australia.

Rohit's struggles with the bat, followed by Team India's recent failures, have meant that there are now a few players in the dressing room with ambitions to captain India. It didn't help that the 37-year-old did not travel with the team for the first Test in Perth and was only available for selection for the Adelaide Test.

The Indian Express report claims that there are certain players in the Indian team who are openly claiming that it is up to them to make India do something special on this tour.

Rohit succeeded Virat Kohli as India's Test captain in late 2021 and also led the team to their 2nd World Test Championship final the following year. In the 24 matches played under his captaincy, India have won 50% of the matches – 12 wins, three draws and nine losses.