The recent Indian Test cricket failures prompted Sourav Ganguly to express his concerns and push captain Rohit Sharma to take over leadership responsibilities. The former captain admitted Rohit performs well with white-ball cricket but has not performed successfully in Tests. According to the former captain Rohit Sharma needs to enhance both his batting performance and leadership skills before India competes in a five-match Test series against England.
India has obtained disappointing results in their most recent matches across the Test format. The team experienced a first in its history when New Zealand defeated India with a score of 0-3 in their October-November 2024 home series. The team’s World Test Championship final qualification disappeared after losing the 1-3 Series games in Australia. The side now faces extensive scrutiny because of their consecutive losses in their preferred format. The Indian skipper didn’t hesitate to talk about Rohit Sharma’s inconsistent performances in Test matches.
“What has surprised me is his form in red-ball over last 4-5 years. A player of his stature and ability, he can do much better than what he has done. He must put on his thinking cap because we have 5 Tests against England and that’s going to be another hard series. Just like the way it was in Australia. It’s going to seam; it’s going to swing. India needs him to perform in the red-ball but in white ball, he is one of the greatest ever,” Ganguly, the former India captain, said during Trailblazers 3.0, by RevSportz.
The five-Test series in England will kick off India’s upcoming WTC cycle on June 20. The team will have a fantastic opportunity to recover on the tour, but it won’t be simple. Since 2007, India has failed to win a Test series in England.
“I’m not surprised that he’s taken the side to greater heights in white-ball. I don’t know whether he’s going to continue playing Test cricket but if he is hearing me, he should take the responsibility of turning things around in red-ball. India are not good at red-ball at the moment and they need to look at it, find a way to play well in England because that’s going to be a very important five-Test series. Rohit has to find a way to get this team going.”
Sourav Ganguly
