“Why is he there?” - Former India batter questions Rohit Sharma’s Test credentials, wants Virat Kohli back as captain
Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath reckons that Rohit Sharma should not be leading the Test side and wants Virat Kohli back as captain in the format. According to Badrinath, Rohit has not proved himself as an opener outside India and added that he cannot be compared to Kohli.
Badrinath’s critical comments came in the wake of India’s innings and 32-run drubbing at the hands of South Africa in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion. The visitors registered scores of 245 and 131 in their two innings. While Kohli scored 38 and 76 in the Test, Rohit struggled and managed only 5 and 0.
Questioning Rohit’s credentials as a Test captain, Badrinath said on his YouTube channel:
"Kohli has a great record as a test leader. He has scored more than 5000 runs with an average of 52 as a captain. He has 40 wins and 17 losses in 68 tests. He led us to a tremendous victory in the Australia series. He has the most wins as Test captain after Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh.”
Pushing for Kohli to be reinstated as India’s Test captain, the former cricketer opined that Rohit has not done enough to be India’s leader in red-ball cricket.
"Why is he (Virat) not the captain of the Test team? I want to raise this valid question. He is a better test batter. There is no comparison between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He is a big player in terms of Test cricket. He has scored runs everywhere. Why is he not leading and a weaker player?," the 43-year-old said.
"As far as I am concerned, a weaker player who is not yet proven as an opener. He has been in and out. We can consider all of that. But I think Rohit Sharma has not proven himself as an opener outside India. Why is he there?" Badrinath added.
Rohit has an impressive Test record overall, having scored 3,682 runs in 53 Tests at an average of 45.45, with 10 hundreds and 16 fifties. However, he does not have a great record overseas and has struggled badly in South Africa, where he averages 12.80 from five Tests with a best of 47.
Virat Kohli’s Test record as captain
Kohli led India in India in 68 Tests, winning 40, losing 17, and drawing 11, giving him a win percentage of 58.82.
In terms of Test wins, he is India’s most successful leader, followed by MS Dhoni (27) and Sourav Ganguly (21). Under the 35-year-old, India registered their maiden Test series win in Australia in 2019-20.
As captain, Kohli scored 5864 runs in Tests at an average of 54.80 with 20 hundred and 18 fifties and a highest of 254*.