Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s captaincy come under the scanner following India’s thrashing defeat against Australia in the World Test Championship final, with many fans and experts baffled by the Indian team’s strategies in the 2022 Asia Cup, 2022 T20 World Cup, and 2023 WTC final, where they failed to surpass the final stage of the match.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma could not bring the best out of their players since he took up the mantle from ace batter Virat Kohli, as he failed to win a major trophy in the last two years for the Indian team and his team selection and backing of the players, where also not well received by the cricket experts and fans.
Here are five players whose careers were destroyed by Rohit Sharma in International Cricket.
1. Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal was dropped from the Indian Test team’s playing XI after the home series against Sri Lanka last year. The right-handed opener played an integral role for the Men in Blue in both home and away tests during Virat Kohli’s stint as Indian captain, but the Karnataka batter found him out of the team, since Rohit Sharma’s reign as Indian skipper.
The 32-year-old has been out of India’s Test side due to his string of poor performances but the Karnataka batter played exceptionally well in Ranji Trophy 2022-23 scoring 990 runs in just 13 innings for Karnataka at a brilliant average of 82.5 and he will look to make a comeback into the Indian setup by performing in the domestic circuit.
2. Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari is no longer a part of the Indian Test squad, but he was a regular in the team since 2019, as he performed exceptionally well in the domestic circuit to earn his spot in the Indian team. The 29-year-old has been dealing with a few injuries lately and had a disappointing domestic season for Andhra with the bat.
The Indian middle-order batter has proven himself to be a player who rises to the occasion. The Indian veteran will aim to make a step closer to the Indian Test squad by performing well in the upcoming Duleep Trophy for South Zone and will be keen to make it into the Indian team for the next WTC Cycle.
3. Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy last played for India in 2021 in the T20 World Cup after which he was dropped and never called up again. The Tamil Nadu spinner was known for his different variations in bowling but had no support from the Indian team after the T20 World Cup in Dubai as he was removed from the team following his dismal performance in the marquee event.
Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy had a massive turnaround in the IPL 2023, as he performed exceptionally well for the Kolkata Knight Riders this year. His variation and accuracy were on point which make it difficult for the batter to pick him, as he picked up 20 wickets from 14 games for his side in the 2023 season.
4. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was discarded from the Indian setup following his poor form, despite his excellent record in red-ball cricket, especially in overseas conditions. The Mumbai-born batter was dropped from the test squad after the conclusion of the South Africa series in 2022, following his string of poor performances in red-ball cricket alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, and Ishant Sharma.
The 35-year-old has reinvented himself in the Indian Premier League 2023, adding a new dimension to his batting, playing at a high strike rate in the middle order, which helped to make it into the Indian side for the World Test Championship in Kennington Oval.
5. Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan fell out of favour with the Indian team, due to his poor form and the emergence of Shubman Gill as an all-format opener for India. Dhawan last turned out for India during their tour of Bangladesh where he scored only 18 runs in three matches. Gill replaced Shikhar Dhawan as the opener of the India ODI side after the Bangladesh series in 2022.
The 37-year-old was expected to be the frontline opener alongside Rohit Sharma for the ODI World Cup 2023, having played together starting in 2013, but the Indian veteran was removed from the team in favour of young Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, despite having a good record in ODI format.