Rohit Sharma likely to retain Test captaincy for England series after Champions Trophy 2025 success
Rohit Sharma is likely to remain as India Test captain for the England series in June after successfully leading the Men in Blue to Champions Trophy triumph.
FollowIndian batting stalwart Rohit Sharma is expected to continue as Test captain for the upcoming series against England in June. Recently, Rohit led Team India to third Champions Trophy triumph, defeating New Zealand in a thrilling final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, March 9.
This was India’s second successive ICC title under the leadership of Rohit Sharma following the T20 World Cup triumph last year, defeating South Africa in the final in Barbados. With this, the 37-year-old became the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni and the fifth overall after Clive Lloyd, Ricky Ponting, and Darren Sammy to win two or more titles at major tournaments. Additionally, Rohit Sharma is the second captain after West Indies legend Clive Lloyd to win two ICC titles on the trot.
Rohit Sharma’s captaincy success in two consecutive ICC tournaments has reaffirmed his position as India’s leader across all formats of the game. Before the beginning of the Champions Trophy, the BCCI asked the Indian skipper to communicate about his future post the marquee event, as the board was reportedly looking for a long-term captain in Tests and ODIs. Team India’s disastrous Test series against Australia, where they failed to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in 10 years, reportedly prompted the BCCI selectors to have a new captain for the upcoming Test series.
Before the Champions Trophy 2025 final, there were speculations about Rohit Sharma’s retirement from ODI cricket after the tournament. The speculations and rumours were dismissed by the Indian skipper himself, stating that he is not going to retire from the format anytime soon, keeping in mind the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Rohit Sharma strengthens his case to lead India in Tests
India’s Champions Trophy success under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy reportedly prompted the BCCI to back him to continue leading Team India in Tests, especially for the upcoming Test series against England.
As per the report by The Indian Express, a source stated that all stakeholders are in favour of Rohit Sharma continuing as a Test captain, adding that the Indian skipper expressed his desire to play red-ball cricket.
“He has shown what he can do. Every stakeholder feels that he is the right candidate to lead the Indian side for the tour of England. Rohit too has expressed his eagerness to keep playing red-ball cricket.” the source close to BCCI told The Indian Express.
Rohit Sharma’s captaincy came under heavy scrutiny after India suffered a humiliating Test series defeat at the hands of New Zealand and Australia. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the veteran Indian batter had an abysmal series as he managed to score only 31 runs at an average of 6.2 in five innings. Due to poor form, Rohit himself stood out from captaincy for the Test series finale in Sydney and handed over leadership duties back to Jasprit Bumrah, who led Team India to Perth Test win.
This sparked speculations about his retirement from Test cricket. However, Rohit Sharma himself cleared the air that he is not retiring from the format.
Rohit Sharma’s Test captaincy record
Rohit Sharma has been leading the Test side since 2022 after he took over the captaincy duties from Virat Kohli, who stepped down from the role after 1-2 series against South Africa.
The 37-year-old has led Team India in 24 matches, winning 12 and losing 3, with a success rate of 50%. However, his captaincy received a big setback when India suffered a three-match series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand. This was the first time since 2000 that team lost every match of the Test series. This was followed by India’s failure to defend the BGT title under his captaincy.
The Test series against England is the beginning of India’s World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Rohit Sharma has an arduous task in hand as India has not won a Test series in England since 2007. If Rohit Sharma continues to remain captain for the England Test series, his main aim will not only be to end India’s 18-year long wait for a Test series win in England but also silencing the critics who questioned his captaincy in Tests.
Also read: How Rohit Sharma guided Team India to Champions Trophy 2025 triumph? REVEALED!
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