Leg and Off: Has Rohit Sharma 'revolutionized' Indian Test cricket?
Not many knew what to expect from Rohit Sharma as red-ball skipper when he took upon the role after Virat Kohli's unprecedented resignation in early 2022. When it came to white-ball cricket, nearly everyone were familiar with the Hitman's style, whether it be the Indian Premier League (IPL) or leading the national team on a sporadic basis in Kohli's absence.
The journey as a red-ball skipper has been relatively smooth for Rohit Sharma so far. The tame loss to Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) remains the only sole blemish in his record. The continued home dominance, a drawn result in South Africa, and another prolific cycle all go in Rohit's favor.
One may point out that the most difficult phase of Rohit Sharma's captaincy is yet to come, but not too far away. India will tour both Australia and England inside the next 12 months for a total of 10 Tests coupled with a potential WTC final, which might define Rohit's legacy.
At the same time, Rohit has been at the helm long enough to be judged. He has done exemplary work, with the results showcasing the same, but has his work been 'revolutionizing'? That's the question.
Rohit Sharma building on the platform set by Virat Kohli
Revolutionizing is changing something radically and fundamentally, which was not the need of the hour when Rohit took charge, but the need to go along with the times became more and more important with time. With scoring rates in Tests soaring with each passing year spurred on by Bazball, the need to recognize the merit in that and adapt accordingly became non-negotiable.
A majority of the players in the current Test setup came through the rank and flourished under Kohli's reign as skipper. The robust pace bowling unit, the spin bowling depth, and some of the batters were all available at Rohit's disposal when he took over.
Although it is hard to fumble with such talent and foundation, credit must go to Rohit Sharma for capitalizing on it, and even strengthening it to a degree.
Ensuring a solid pipeline of bowlers and batters getting ready for transition from the domestic level, and providing them with the right environment to express themselves, that is all Rohit Sharma and the new management.
Brave calls regarding personnel and identifying the right candidates
Much like any other captain, Rohit was tasked with dealing a transition period. A huge decision had to be made about the ageing middle-order. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were not among the runs and not a right fit for the new era of red-ball cricket.
The way the duo were phased out, and the new crop of middle-order batters like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Sarfaraz Khan were introduced was nothing short of a brave call.
The decision to push down Gill to No.3 to accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top also raised some eyeballs, but after a year in, it all fits together, summing up another one of Rohit's brave calls that paid off.
Rohit also did not have Pant at his disposal for a significant portion of his leadership reign. Although it took some trial and error, they landed on the right backup candidate in Dhruv Jurel. All of these newcomers are capable of playing in multiple gears, a trait that is valued with each passing day, working in the long-term scheme of things.
Making rank turners an anomaly instead of a regulation
The aforementioned points are important, but it does lean towards the revolutionizing scheme of things. Transitions and evolving are natural and inevitable, but the first aspect of Rohit Sharma making a change was seen through the nature of pitches rather than how the team played.
In Rohit Sharma's first year as captain, India largely played the same way they were accustomed to. But a lot has changed since the defeat in the WTC cycle. The occurrence of aggressive hundreds or counter-attacking innings have been common, with the other prominent change coming in the form of the nature of pitches in home conditions.
Usually, rank turners were the norm in India, but that trend has changed of late. The recent Test series against Bangladesh took things up a notch as Rohit Sharma made use of only two spinners in the playing XI. Playing on sporting surfaces at home, will reduce the time needed to adapt in overseas conditions, and remove the annoying stigma of 'India need rank turners to win at home.'
Leading by example has helped others catch on
Rohit Sharma successfully conducted Team India's revamp approach-wise in the shortest format since the 2022 T20 World Cup. The thing that helped the most in the entire team buying into the process was Rohit leading by example. One cannot help but follow the philosophy, in this case attacking cricket, when the captain himself was taking on the bowlers from the word go.
Similarly, in this case, Rohit Sharma has been leading from the front, being the perfect example for others to follow. He set the tempo in the wild innings against Bangladesh in Kanpur, and since he is among the first to be exposed to the conditions as an opener, the way he approaches his innings becomes extremely crucial as a benchmark for others to follow.
Apart from batting, he has imparted the mindset of positive cricket, and hunting for result, so deeply into the squad that they will hunt for a result from any and all situations.
To conclude, rather than saying that Rohit Sharma has revolutionized Indian Test cricket, it would be more fair to say that the game has been revolutionized and Rohit Sharma has steered the team in the right direction, aligning it with the constant evolution.
Rohit Sharma has certainly had an impact on the side as a leader, and it is reflected through the changes in the approach and drive.
Like his work with the T20 side, the Hitman is certainly the guy who has ushered India into the new age of Test cricket. But when it comes to a full-fledged revolution, India are still on the brink and not fully in. More trophies and overseas success stands between Rohit Sharma and the tag of Indian Test revolutionizer.