Rohit Sharma has been at the centrestage of all the criticism since team India has lost the first Test against South Africa within three days in Centurion. The India skipper returned with scores of 5 and 0 in two innings of the Test before getting out to his nemesis Kagiso Rabada in both innings. Moreover, Rohit's captaincy also came under the scanner during the Test match as India ended up conceding 408 runs on a pitch that was assisting the bowlers.
Former India cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath has come down hard on Rohit Sharma and has questioned not only his captaincy but his place in the team too. He stated that the current India skipper has not proven himself as an opener yet outside India and also called him a weaker player while suggesting that Virat Kohli should've led India in Tests thanks to his amazing record while at the helm.
"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? 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 said on his Youtube channel.
Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain in February 2022 after the previous South Africa tour which India lost 1-2 despite winning the first game. Since then, Rohit has been leading the side and in his absence, Jasprit Bumrah took over in one Test in England. To back his claim, Badrinath highlighted Virat's amazing numbers as captain in the longest form of the sport.
"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," former India cricketer added.
