Sunil Gavaskar makes staggering Rohit Sharma claim during IND vs AUS 3rd Test at Gabba, says ‘He himself will step down’

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar made a staggering claim that Rohit Sharma is likely to step down as the captain of the Indian cricket team if the Mumbai batter's lean patch with the bat continues in Melbourne and Sydney in the final two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). The Indian captain has so far scored 607 runs in 13 Tests in 2024, at an average of 26.39, which is way below his career average of 41.24.

Rohit, who missed the first Test in Perth due to the birth of second child, has been way below his status with scores of 3, 6 and 10 in the three innings that he played on this tour.

Gavaskar felt that if Rohit fails to make a mark at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground, he won't wait for the selectors to make the call. “I think Rohit obviously will get the opportunity to play in the next couple of matches, that’s for sure. But maybe at the end of it, if he hasn’t scored runs, my feeling is that he himself will take the call,” Sunil Gavaskar told ABC Sport on Tuesday.

“He’s a very conscientious cricketer, he will not want to be a burden on the team. He’s a cricketer who cares very deeply for Indian cricket. So if he doesn’t score runs in the next couple of games, I think he himself will step down,” added Gavaskar.

Rohit batted at No.6 in BGT 2024-25

Notably, Rohit hasn't opened the innings during his time in Australia, sacrificing his spot to KL Rahul who was successful with Yashasvi Jaiswal in Perth, which India won by 295 runs.

Following the success of Rahul and Jaiswal, Rohit stated that there is no point in tinkering with the pair. Since then, he batted at No.6 - the position at which Rohit started his Test career back in 2013.