Rohit Sharma to be removed from Test captaincy: Report

Rohit Sharma is set to be removed as India's Test captain ahead of the five-Test tour to England in June, reported Indian Express.

The Indian team will kickstart the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a new leader whose first responsibility will be to lead the team in the five-match Test series against England starting from June 20.

As per the report, the selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar has decided to move past the 38-year-old. It further states that the move is not made through a desire for transition or moving past senior players but due to concerns over Rohit's performances in the format.


Meanwhile, there is no clarity on Sharma's selection in the squad as a player. The report states that the opener will remain part of the team's plans in ODI cricket.

The decision comes as the selection committee does not want another Australia-like situation where the batter opted out of the fifth Test after a poor run of form. He scored just 31 runs in six innings on the tour Downunder. With Sharma not being captain, it will allow the team to drop him from the playing XI during the series if he fails to find form.

The 2023-25 cycle was the first time India failed to qualify for the WTC final, which will be played between South Africa and Australia next month. The two-time runners-up were on course for a third final before the Rohit-led team were whitewashed at home by New Zealand before being beaten 3-1 in the Boreder-Gavaskar Trophy.

Sharma was made the Indian Test captain in 2022 after Virat Kohli resigned from the role. The Mumbai-based batter led the team in 24 matches in which he won 12 and lost nine with three draws.

It is unclear who will replace Sharma for the top job. While Jasprit Bumrah has been the vice-captain for a while, his fitness issues have put his escalation to captaincy in doubt. Shubman Gill has been the vice-captain in ODIs.

Rohit averages 40.57 from 67 Tests. That drops to 31.01 in Tests outside India. He averages 24.38 in Australia and 16.63 in South Africa but the average jumps to 44.66 in England, where India play next. As an opener, he averages nearly the same (44.54) in Tests in England.

With Rohit still the ODI captain, the move to move past him in Test cricket means that India will have a different captain in each format as Suryakumar Yadav is leading the national team in T20Is.