Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh shared his thoughts on India skipper Rohit Sharma’s prospects prior to the upcoming Test series against England in June. 1999 Cricket World Cup winning captain stated that Rohit should reflect on himself in the mirror and question if he still has the commitment to lead and represent the Indian team.
Rohit Sharma has gone through lot of ups and downs during the recent time. He guided Team India to triumph in two ICC championships — the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. At the same time, India endured a clean sweep defeat against New Zealand in the Test series at home and subsequently lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
His numbers in Test cricket in recent times have been quite ordinary. The numbers reflect that he has not been in the best of form and the time has come for him to take a decision regarding his future.
Rohit needs to make a decision regarding his future, says Waugh
Steve Waugh stated that Rohit Sharma needs to make a decision regarding his future, particularly in light of his recent performance issues. Waugh remarked that if Rohit intends to keep leading, he should steer clear of complacency.
“It is totally up to him. He is the only one who can solve that problem. He has got to look himself in the mirror and say, Do I still want to be captain or play for India? Am I committed?” Waugh said.
“Am I putting enough time and effort into it? It is a privilege and an honour to play for your country. You can’t be complacent or relax,” he added.
Rohit looked out of sorts in Australia
The 37-year-old batsman managed just 31 runs in three Tests in Australia, leading to doubts about his position in the squad. Rohit Sharma chose to exclude himself from the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Under his captaincy, India did not qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 Final.
Nonetheless, Rohit Sharma excelled during India’s 2021 tour of England, accumulating 368 runs at a remarkable average of 52.57, featuring a century at The Oval. He was the leading scorer for India in the series. The series concluded in a 2-2 tie after the fifth Test was postponed due to COVID-19.
‘Test Cricket is the very essence of Cricket’
Steve Waugh also discussed the future of Test cricket, particularly with the growing influence of T20 cricket. He expressed that Test cricket is still the essence of the game. Waugh stated that players continue to want to demonstrate their skills in Tests, calling it the highest form of competition.
“There is stress on Test cricket, whether it will survive because we need it as a sport. T20 cricket is amazing, great for players and spectators, and great for sponsors, but I still think Test cricket is the very essence of cricket.”
“The players, I believe, still want to play Tests to see how good they can actually be. It’s the ultimate contest. Making sure that it survives and thrives and is healthy is really important,” Waugh explained.
