End of road for Rohit Sharma in Tests? India skipper unlikely to be picked for England tour

With the uncertainty over Rohit Sharma’s future in Tests looms after an abysmal show in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the report has emerged that the Indian skipper is unlikely to pick for the England tour, which is slated to take place in June. 

Team India failed to defend their Border-Gavaskar Trophy title  for the first time in 10 years after losing 3-1 series to Australia, who managed to regain the title. Rohit Sharma’s form and captaincy in the longest format of the game came under heavy scrutiny following his abysmal show in the Test series against Australia, where he managed to score only 31 runs at an average of 6.2 innings. 

Rohit Sharma reportedly dropped himself from the Sydney Test due to poor form and handed over captaincy duties back to Jasprit Bumrah, who led India to first Test in Perth in the absence of the former. His exclusion from the final Test of the series raised concerns about his retirement, which he denied.

Rohit Sharma took over captaincy duties from Virat Kohli in 2022 and since then, he has led Team India in 24 Tests. However, of late, his captaincy and performance came under heavy scrutiny. Rohit became the first Indian captain to suffer 0-3 Test series whitewash against New Zealand last year, while bringing an end to India’s 18-Test series winning streak to an end. After Team India lost the BGT series for the first time since 2017, the questions were raised about his captaincy future in Tests.

Given Rohit Sharma’s recent struggles with form in Tests, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee is looking for a new captain to lead India in the longest format of the game. As per the report by PTI, a source close to BCCI stated that Rohit Sharma is not likely to be picked in Tests again and Jasprit Bumrah is set to be appointed as captain before the England tour. 

“It is understood that the main bone of contention was that Bumrah is yet to start bowling full tilt and those in the know of things said that it is very difficult to get match-fit in such a short time. Rather, he can come back for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and then lead India in England as Rohit Sharma is unlikely to be picked for Tests again." the BCCI source said.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Rohit Sharma was asked to communicate about his future plans during the BCCI review captain after the Champions Trophy 2025. The report by TOI stated that BCCI selectors are looking for a long-term captaincy option to lead Team India in Tests and ODIs, keeping in mind the 2027 ODI World Cup and the upcoming Test tours. Reportedly, Jasprit Bumrah is on the selectors radar for the Test captaincy alongside Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Jasprit Bumrah is currently undergoing training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after being ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025. The initial scan reports, submitted by NCA medical head Nitin Patel to BCCI selection committee, revealed that Bumrah’s back injury was not serious, but Ajit Agarkar decided not to pick him for the marquee event as he did not want to risk his injury, keeping in mind the five-Test series against England. The pacer is expected to return to action for the IPL 2025.

Rohit Sharma will be leading Team India in the Champions Trophy. His ODI captaincy future is likely to be decided depending on his performance in the tournament and the team’s overall results. The 36-year-old already retired from the T20Is after leading the Men in Blue to T20 World Cup triumph last year. If the BCCI decides to move on from Rohit Sharma in Tests, he will likely focus on ODIs. Rohit Sharma’s future in the longest format of the game will be taken after India’s campaign at the Champions Trophy 2025.