Rohit Sharma’s Test captaincy record: Dravid's influence vs Gambhir's aggression

Rohit Sharma rose from humble beginnings to captain India but he was axed Friday for the decisive fifth Test against Australia to nudge the Hitman closer to retirement Even before the outofform opening batsman was dropped for the crucial Sydney clash Indian media had speculated that Rohit could retire from Test cricket after the series The 37yearold quit T20 international cricket last year after lifting the World Cup He is yet to call time on his ODI career If this is it for Rohit in Tests the team insisted he was rested it would be an ignominious late chapter in the career of the Indian great As a youngster Rohit studied on a scholarship because his family was unable to afford monthly fees of a few dollars He overcame all odds to become a cricketing superstar especially in the whiteball game his feats including taking his country to World Cup glory in 2024 He is also the only batsman to have scored three doublecenturies in oneday internationals Prior to his dropoff in form Rohit gave India real firepower at the top of the innings and his selfless approach allowed the rest of the batsmen to play freely But the man dubbed the Hitman for getting to big scores quickly in spectacular style failed to get past 10 runs in any of his five innings in Australia He had called his performances disturbing while there was also mounting criticism about his decisions as captain Rohit missed the first Test in Perth for the birth of his second child with Jasprit Bumrah assuming the captaincy and playing a starring role with the ball in a big India win With India trailing 21 in the series vicecaptain Bumrah was named to lead the team at the Sydney Cricket Ground as the visitors battle to retain the BorderGavaskar TrophyRohits numbers under Rahul DravidRohits first assignment as captain came in March 2022 during Indias home series against Sri Lanka Since then he has captained India in 16 Test matches under Dravids coaching Out of these 16 matches India secured 10 victories suffered four losses and saw two games end in a draw With a win percentage of 62537 Rohit demonstrated his effectiveness as a captain especially in the early stages of his leadership role No of matches India won India lost Matches drawn 16 10 4 2Rohits numbers under Gautam GambhirThe dynamics however shifted when Gambhir took over as Indiarsquos head coach in July 2024 Gambhirrsquos first series in charge came during Indiarsquos tour of Sri Lanka and since then the team has experienced a noticeable decline in performance India have played three Test series under Gambhirs leadership with disappointing results that have raised questions about the teamrsquos strategy and leadership Rohit who has captained the side in eight matches since Gambhirrsquos appointment has seen his leadership record falter With just a win percentage of 25 per cent during this period the shift in team dynamics under Gambhir has been less than favourable for Rohit and the Indian team No of matches India won India lost Matches drawn 8 2 5 1One of the key factors behind Rohits struggles under Gambhirs coaching is the contrasting approach to leadership Gambhir is known for his aggressive style both as a player and as a coach His emphasis on intent aggression and proactive decisionmaking has sometimes clashed with Rohitrsquos more cautious thoughtful approachRohitrsquos inability to fully embrace Gambhirrsquos more aggressive philosophy has resulted in a strained period for both the captain and the team The inconsistency in Indiarsquos performances since Gambhirs appointment has been a cause for concern with Rohits leadership coming under scrutiny in this new more aggressive regime