New Delhi: Rohit Sharma’s form and Test captaincy credentials have come under the scanner after India’s 3-0 whitewash in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand at home. India recorded a new low as they got whitewashed for the first time in a three-match Test series at home. The hosts suffered another epic batting collapse as they fell short in the 147-run chase to lose by 25 runs in the 3rd Test in Mumbai.
It was India’s 5th loss at home under Rohit’s captaincy as the Hitman went second on the list of Indian captains with the most Test defeats at home. From making tactical blunders to poor decision-making and failing to lead from the front with the bat, Rohit endured a disastrous series against New Zealand. While his captaincy has come under the scanner, he has been far from his best with the bat in the longest format of late.
Rohit finished the New Zealand series with only 91 runs from three matches at an abysmal average of 15.17 with a solitary half-century. His poor returns at the top were one of the major reasons behind India’s frequent batting collapses as the captain failed to turn up in pressure situations. The Hitman has endured a lean patch in the home Test season and has struggled for consistency.
KL Rahul too has underperformed in Tests for India for a while now. He has also been often made a scapegoat following India’s recent defeats and has coped with intense criticism, thanks to his average displays. But despite the popular notion that Rahul has been a non-performing asset for a long time, his stats suggest a different picture altogether.
Rohit Sharma vs KL Rahul in last ten Test ten innings:
Rohit has endured a dismal run in Tests in recent times as the Indian skipper has managed only 122 runs in his last ten innings with a solitary half-century. Rohit’s only half-century in his last Test innings came in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru where he scored 52 runs. The Indian captain has managed to score in double digits only 4 times in his last ten Test innings.
On the other hand, Rahul has notched up 301 runs in his last ten innings, including a solitary century and two half-centuries. Rahul slammed a brilliant knock of 101 runs against South Africa in Centurion in December last year before notching up an 86-run knock against England in Hyderabad in the home series earlier this year. He scored 68 runs in the 2nd Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.
Rahul was dropped from the team following his twin failures in the series opener against New Zealand in Bengaluru where he was dismissed on low scores of 0 and 12 in his two innings. However, Rahul has been far better compared to Rohit if their last ten Test innings are taken into account. While Rohit has continued to open, Rahul has had to shift at no.6 in the middle order but has still managed to churn out performances on a regular basis.
