Rohit Sharma emphasizes on the next 5 months being crucial for his future, hints at separation from Virat Kohli: 'Just like Sachin, Dravid…'

In 2024, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli reached the pinnacle of their careers by leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup. However, their triumph soon turned into despair as both players endured their toughest seasons yet. The 2024/25 Test season saw India falter, missing out on the WTC final for the first time. The lack of bowling depth beyond Jasprit Bumrah put immense pressure on the team, while Rohit and Kohli struggled to find form with the bat. It was a year of highs and lows for the Indian cricket team and its senior players.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has said that the next few months will be particularly crucial for Rohit's future and that the parameters for the captain would not be the same as for Kohli. “Let’s not club Rohit and Virat together,” Dasgupta said on Star Sports. “Just like in the previous generation of Indian cricket, where Sachin (Tendulkar) and Rahul (Dravid) were different, you have to evaluate each player individually."

Rohit's stunning dip in the 2024/25 season

Kohli averaged 22.47 in 19 innings in the 2024/25 Test season, scoring a total 382 runs. It has to be noted, though that Kohli had scored a century in one of those innings, which means he scored just 282 runs in 18 knocks. While that is bad for any player, let alone of of Kohli's stature, Rohit's numbers are far more worrying. The Indian captain scored just 164 runs in 15 innings at an average of 10.93 with one half century to his name. Rohit's case is also not helped by the fact that he is now 37 and could be over 40 by the time the upcoming WTC cycle ends.

"For Rohit, the next five months of predominantly international white-ball cricket and the IPL will be crucial. The weight of his performances in these formats will be telling. Beyond that, factors like his first-class cricket form, fitness levels, and performance in the Champions Trophy will also be important. The final decision rests with the selectors," said Dasgupta.

Rohit's place as captain of the Test team has also come under the scanner with India losing five of the last six Tests in which he led. This included an embarassing 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand at home which ended India's record breaking winning streak in home Tests. Rohit ended up dropping himself for the last Test of the series against Australia, which India lost by six wickets and they thus conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.

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