Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has said that Rohit Sharma should assess his commitment to Test cricket. Rohit could not deliver the goods in the Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia as he managed to score only 31 runs in three Test matches at an average of 6.20.
The Indian captain also opted out of the final Test match at Sydney, raising doubts over his Test future. However, Rohit clarified that he would continue to play the red-ball format for the national team after India suffered a 1-3 series loss and stood down from the playing XI as the team can not afford to carry many out-of-form players.
Rohit hasn’t been at his best in the last couple of seasons in the multi-day format and needs to turn a corner.
“It is totally up to him,” Waugh told PTI. “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? 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.”
On the other hand, the legendary Australian said Test cricket is pivotal for the sport amid the rise of T20 leagues all around the globe.
“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,” Waugh said.
“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,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rohit recently scored 76 runs off 45 balls against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings to bounce back in form.
