A two-year peak or an India great, what is Rohit Sharma's Test legacy?

At twenty-nine minutes past seven in the evening, Rohit Sharma put up a note on his Instagram story, announcing his departure from Tests. A silent nod to MS Dhoni, or plain coincidence, the moment confirmed what had already been speculated, to different degrees, for close to half a year.

An India career that began eighteen years ago still goes on, but the whites have been shelved for good.

Rohit quits in the midst of his IPL duties, and six weeks before India’s next Test. But there’s little shock in the decision. An hour before his forlorn cap popped up on feeds, a report had all but closed down months worth of tease. Rohit wasn’t needed in Tests anymore, not as captain at least.

On the first Saturday of this year, dressed in a training tee and shorts, Rohit had put himself in front of the camera in Australia. The suddenness of the interview was as surprising as the context: for the first time, an Indian Test captain had dropped himself from the playing XI.

Embattled by a harrowing run of poor form, he put up a brave face, promising he wasn’t stepping away.

“This decision is not a retirement decision. Nor I am going to step away from the game. I am out of this game because I am not getting runs.”

Something changed between then and today.

An Australia tour had consumed yet another India bigwig: across two tours in 2011/12 and 2014/15, India lost Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni, making space for Rohit in the middle order.

The decline leading to his Test epilogue has been devastating. Just last October, not too long after his tricolour-draped, trophy-wielding T20 farewell, Rohit was being hailed as the figurehead of a new India. In Kanpur, his 11-ball 23 on a deteriorating Kanpur pitch set the tone for a team on a mission for crucial WTC points, firing through 35 overs at a run-rate of 8.8.

It felt like the tipping point of Rohit’s Test captaincy, and was supposed to take India into the new age as a punchy, gallant Test team. Very quickly, it turned into a house of cards on fire, torched at home by New Zealand and minced to dust in Australia. R Ashwin was the immediate collateral, Rohit a delayed victim.

As captain, Rohit suffered two debilitating setbacks: the 3-1 humiliation in Australia was somehow not as bad as a historic home whitewash to New Zealand.

Buried in it all was Rohit’s sharp slump: between September and December, he averaged 10.93 in fifteen innings, with exactly two scores above 20.

Sharp, because early that year, Rohit had looked as fine as ever. Two centuries against England, an average of 44, and a tally of 400 runs.

At that point, he was an easy pick for a World Test XI: in the six-year history of the World Test Championship, only Usman Khawaja had scored more runs as opener. After his nine centuries, the next-best tally is six.

Quiz! Every cricketer to play a Test match against captain Rohit Sharma

Tests - A format that did not feel his

It was a vindicating period for a player whose first six years at the Test level were a mishmash of mediocrity, peppered with bits of promise. His actual debut came three years after he was slated for one, sidelined by a football injury minutes before receiving his cap.

When he finally got to wear it, Rohit clobbered two centuries in two innings. That year was also his ODI rebirth: a shift from the middle-order to opening turned him into a different player altogether. In 2013, he also took over as IPL captain.

It took a further six years to turn things around in Tests.

Until then, Rohit battled to find his identity. As a white-ball player, his ascent was rapid, but the period from 2014 to 2018 was middling as a Test player. The same man who scored centuries for fun in ODIs, managed one across 41 innings, batting everywhere from No.3 to No.6.

That was until 2019, when he opened the batting.

Rohit played five years as opener, at a time of declining Test average, even more so in India. He did so in an increasingly high-quality bowling era, with fewer bat-friendly “roads” around. And that made his high points extremely special.

From the start of 2019 until the end of 2021, he averaged 58 across 16 Tests. He succeeded – even dominated – in conditions where others failed, that was biggest strength.

Success in England

Traditionally, openers from India, and Asia in general, have been tested in England, where swing and seam is unlike anything at home. Yet, it’s a territory Rohit thrived in.

Among the 24 batters to open at least five times in England since 2019, Rohit’s average of 44.54 is the second-best, behind only Devon Conway. He faced a minimum of 25 balls every single time, and at least 100 five times out of 12, never falling in single-digits.

But that success never translated to other parts of the world. Interestingly, he did not travel as much either. He opened just four times in South Africa – the same as Yashasvi Jaiswal – averaging 20.

In Australia, he averaged 23.50 after opening six times. Surprisingly, that’s a place where he averages 78 from 15 ODIs opening. He never opened in New Zealand.

Home treats

Since the start of 2019, no batter apart from Rohit and Tom Latham, opened in more home Tests (25 each). Rohit hit seven hundreds, averaging 44, collecting centuries against South Africa, Australia and England. But in three out of those eight home series, he averaged under 20 three times (New Zealand 2024, Bangladesh 2019 and Bangladesh 2024).

India’s totals in these series:

Among Indians who opened at least five times in the same period, Mayank Agarwal (69 in 13 innings) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (60.61 in 19 innings) have better averages. Shubman Gill averaged 30.83 in 13 innings.

How did he fare in wins?

In wins, Rohit averaged 56.74 as opener. Among all openers since 2019, no one has hit more centuries (9). With a five-innings cutoff, his average is the seventh best. Among all Indian batters in the same period with the same cutoff, only Jaiswal (77.73) has a higher average.

Did Rohit score faster than the rest?

It’s widely noted that Rohit changed his overall approach 2023 onwards, taking more risks and scoring quicker. His ODI strike-rate stood at 89.64 at the start of that year: since then, he’s struck at 116.91.

At the start of 2023, his Test strike-rate read 55.79. Since then, that’s operated at 60.8. While not exactly revolutionary, it suggested a change of tack. What’s more commendable is that he did it in his 36th year.

Rohit brought his six-hitting ease to Test cricket: since 2019, only Ben Stokes and Rishabh Pant hit more sixes than him. Among openers, four out of those top-six names are Indians.

All openers with a 60+ strike-rate since 2023 (min. 10 innings):

In India, he struck at 63.78: among other openers, only Ben Duckett, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Travis Head and Zak Crawley scored quicker than him. Away from home, that strike rate read 58.45, with Duckett, Head, Pathum Nissanka, Crawley and Tony di Zorzi all scoring quicker (five innings cutoff).

Overall, Rohit ended as India’s seven-highest run-getter among openers (2,697 runs), scoring the fifth-most centuries (9). His average of 42.80, is the eighth-best among all Indian Test openers, with a 10-innings cutoff.

Legacy as captain

When Rohit was named India’s full-time Test captain, the then selector Chetan Sharma called him India’s No.1 cricketer. Still, he had big shoes to fill, taking over from Virat Kohli, who had led India to 40 Test wins, including 16 abroad. The push to play the extra bowler, and the development of an envious fast-bowling unit, gave Rohit a ready recipe to follow.

Under Rohit, India won 12, lost nine and drew three, reaching the 2023 WTC final. Out of those, only two wins, in eight Tests, were abroad – one in the West Indies (2023) and the other in South Africa (2024).

With a five-match cutoff since he took over, Rohit’s India averaged 25.15 with the ball, the third-best among all teams after Temba Bavuma’s South Africa and Steve Smith’s Australia.

Bowling averages since Rohit took over as Test captain:

*Since March 2022 – Includes three Tests led by Jasprit Bumrah, and two by KL Rahul.

Comparatively, Kohli’s India stood at 25.34.

Tactically, Rohit was known to be astute, but towards the end of his tenure, cracks began to show in his Test captaincy. It reached a boiling point on the 2024/25 Australia, his reputation already tarnished after being whitewashed by New Zealand – he remains the only India Test captain to lose a home series 0-3.

Rohit’s Test captaincy record

Did India play faster under Rohit?

A theme linked to Rohit’s Test captaincy is faster run-scoring. In Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit found an opening partner who scored at breakneck speed when needed. The phasing out of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, and the infusion of middle-order with younger (potentially faster) players such as Sarfaraz Khan and Nitish Kumar Reddy indicated an attempt to keep up with the times.

The average Test run-scoring rate has been over 3.5 runs an over for the last three years.

Under Rohit, India’s RPO has been the highest ever, better than any of the other 35 captains. Scoring faster alone didn’t guarantee success: when India batted at over 4 an over, they won five, lost two and drew one.

With a five-match cutoff, three other captains – Ben Stokes, Latham and Bavuma oversaw their teams score quicker than Rohit’s India (3.66) since he took over.

Captaincy and Rohit, the batter

Rohit’s own numbers have a duller showing when the captaincy armband was on, but it’s not as simple. When he first led India, his Test average stood at 46.60 in March 2022. By the time he was done, that had fallen to 40.57.

As captain, he averaged 30.58 from 42 innings. Among all captains batting in the top three since 2015 (min ten innings), Rohit’s average ranks eighth out of 13. But his tenure also corresponds to a change in wickets, designed to be more result-oriented.

The only three teams against whom he averaged over 30, were Sri Lanka, the West Indies and England. But, he also hit four centuries, the joint-most for a Test captain in that period. At home, he averaged 32.50 during his captaincy tenure.

In all, Rohit’s Test career had its high points, but the lows went dangerously deep. A white-ball great in every sense, Rohit red-ball showings will probably make for a less-decorated chapter. Yet, for a man who hurtled through most of his twenties desperately searching for his Test identity, Rohit recovered enormously to shine bright in his 30s.

Also read: How will India replace Rohit for the England Tests?

Rohit's redevelopment as a Test opener, and one of India's finest ever, speaks volumes of his adaptability in a format that once looked his weakest.

As the rustic father figure, ever ready with a snappy wisecrack, Rohit guided several youngsters through their early Test years, harvesting eleven debutants (most by choice, some from circumstances). Beyond the numbers, perhaps, this was part of his Test legacy, leading India’s next set through a largely comfortable transitional phase. At some point, that included making way himself. Rohit made it a point not to overstay.

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