India captain Rohit Sharma opted to "rest" for the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. During the toss, Jasprit Bumrah walked out as the visitors' captain, and it was then that he revealed Rohit decided to "rest" from the crucial Sydney Test, where India have a chance to level the five-match series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Now speculations are rife that the Melbourne Test may have been Rohit’s last for India, considering that the 37-year-old is unlikely to be in the scheme of things for India’s next WTC cycle, which begins with the tour of England later this year.
Rohit Sharma called time on his T20I career after leading India to the T20 World Cup triumph last June, and Suryakumar Yadav took over the reins a month later. Jasprit Bumrah, who led India to an emphatic victory in the BGT opener at Perth, looks poised to captain the national team in Test cricket. With growing speculations on Rohit's international future, a report published in My Khel claimed that the BCCI is already exploring leadership options in the ODI format. The report further suggested that if Rohit's role as an ODI captain comes under scrutiny or the selectors decide to ease the burden on him, Hardik Pandya could emerge as the next leader.
The all-rounder, who has the experience of leading India in the white-ball formats, might be handed over the rein ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy."Hardik has the knack for leading in high-pressure situations, and his experience as an all-rounder and leader makes him an ideal choice for an ICC tournament like the Champions Trophy," a source told My Khel. The report added that with Shubman Gill still evolving as a leader, Hardik emerges as the leading candidate to take over the ODI duties from Rohit." Gill needs more grooming to mature into a leader, and SKY's ODI performances haven't been convincing enough. Hardik remains the most balanced option to lead India in ODIs if Rohit is unavailable," the source further said.
Hardik has previously led India in three ODIs — against Australia in March 2023 (five-wicket win), and against the West Indies in July and August of the same year (six-wicket defeat and a 200-run win). The all-rounder, who doesn’t play Tests, was earlier seen as a T20 captaincy option too, but the BCCI eventually with with Suryakumar after Rohit retired from the format.Hardik had earlier replaced Rohit as Mumbai Indians’ captain in IPL 2024 after being traded in from the Giants (who then made Gill the captain). However, under him, the franchise finished bottom of the table for its worst-ever result in a season. However, before that, he led the Giants to back-to-back finals, even winning the 2022 season
