Should Rohit Sharma step down as Team India's captain? Australia's Michael Clarke responds

Australia outplayed the Indian squad, led by Rohit Sharma, by 209 runs in the ICC World Test Championship Final at London's Kennington Oval recently, sparking massive outburst among fans. Rohit Sharma's leadership was heavily criticised, as he only managed to score 15 and 43 runs in the two innings of play. Irked fans also demanded the sacking of the Indian captain after the dismal show in England.

Amid the ongoing debate if Rohit Sharma should continue as Indian team's skipper or not, Michael Clarke, the captain of the World Cup-winning Australia team, has backed the veteran batter despite India's failure to break their decade-long jinx to bag an ICC trophy.

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"I would be keeping the faith with Rohit, I think he is a very good captain. I like his aggressive approach, he looks to be as positive as he can be. He has had a lot of success as a leader (look at his IPL record for Mumbai) just because India didn't win the Test World Championship doesn't mean Rohit is not the right guy to lead India," Clarke told Revsportz.

"The fact that India qualified again, they are the only team to make consecutive finals, says a lot about how they have played their Test cricket over the past four years (qualifying for both Test Championships). It is also a very important time for stability with the One Day World Cup right around the corner," Clarke added.

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Making it to two consecutive finals of an ICC World Test Championship is a marvel in itself, according to Clarke, who led Australia to the 2015 ICC World Cup victory.

"Since taking over as captain he has won you a Test series against Australia at home. He has done well as a batter as well. Think of his hundred in the last series. Losing a one off final doesn't make him a bad captain and nor does it make India a bad team. To make consecutive finals isn't easy. What it means is that India was the only team to play consistently well over a period of four years. To do so in Test cricket is commendable and I would urge you to look at that as well before making any kind of judgment call," Clarke said.

Also read: Australia crowned World Test Champions: How Team India lost the plot on Day 1 itself at The Oval

The former Australian skipper also expressed excitement over the ongoing Ashes 2023 series and the way the first three days of the first Test at Edgbaston has panned out.

"The Ashes has got off to a great start - both teams are playing some great Test cricket. That's what you expect from a marquee series like this. England are continuing to play the brand of cricket they have been for the past 12 months and the Aussies are finding a way to combat that. This is going to be a great series but of course I'm backing Australia to come out on top," Clarke signed off.