IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma bags unwanted record as captain as poor form continues with bat
New Zealand stunned the cricketing fraternity as they became the first-ever team to whitewash India away from home. They won all three Test matches against India and also broke their winning streak of 18 series at home.
India's performance in the recently concluded Test series has come under the scanner with New Zealand inflicting an embarrassing 3-0 whitewash. More than anyone, skipper Rohit Sharma's poor form not only in this series but throughout the home season was a concern for the team. In fact, Rohit got out to pacers on rank turners in the last two Test matches against the Kiwis much to the disappointment of the fans.
He finished the home season with just 133 runs in 10 innings at a mediocre average of 13.3 which is the lowest for an Indian captain. Sunil Gavaskar held his record earlier as he averaged 17.5 in eight innings mustering only 140 runs during the 1984-85 season at home. Overall, Rohit's average of 13.3 is the second-lowest among all captains at home in Test cricket history.
Nasser Hussain is on top of this embarrassing record having averaged only 10.22 in 2000 during the home season. He was the captain of England then and scored only 92 runs in 10 innings while recording three ducks.
Players with the lowest average in home season in Tests
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | Season |
| Nasser Hussain (England) | 10 | 92 | 10.22 | 2000 |
| Rohit Sharma (India) | 10 | 133 | 13.3 | 2024-25 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 8 | 113 | 16.14 | 2010-11 |
| Norman Yardley (England) | 9 | 150 | 16.66 | 1948 |
| Mark Taylor (Australia) | 9 | 153 | 17 | 1996-97 |
After losing the final Test against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma admitted that his approach with the bat didn't work in the series at all. He also took responsibility for the loss and conceded that he wasn't at his best as captain either. "Definitely, you know, something like this will be a very low point in my career, you know, having lost three games at home. And, yes, we, I fully take the responsibility for that as a captain and as a leader as well. I have not been at the best of my abilities right from the start of the series. And yeah, with the bat as well, I've not been good enough," he said.