(Image source from: PTI)

India captain Rohit Sharma is unlikely to be in the team's plans for the post-Border-Gavaskar World Cup Test series against Australia. Rohit has been heavily criticized for his recent poor form with the bat, but his leadership skills have also come under scrutiny following India's loss to New Zealand in the home Test series. According to a report in Times of India, Rohit is unlikely to continue as a Test cricketer after the match against Australia, but his retirement from Test cricket may not be imminent. While Rohit's departure could leave the team in limbo, the report also speculates about star batsman Virat Kohli's return as captain. Kohli stepped down from his role as India's most successful Test captain. He led the Indian national team in 68 matches with an excellent winning percentage of 40 wins and only 17 losses. He also became the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia (2 wins, 1 loss in 2018-19 season). His chances of promotion again could be due to selectors perhaps not having enough faith in the younger generation of players when it comes to captaincy.

The uncertainty over Rohit's future is likely to mean that he has already played his last Test and will not captain India for the Test series against Australia in Sydney on Friday. India coach Gautam Gambhir did not completely rule out the possibility of Rohit being on the bench in Sydney. He said that the final decision on the playing eleven would be made after inspecting the pitch on the match day. “I think there is nothing wrong with Rohit and it is not traditional. The head coach is here too and that’s enough. We will look at the wickets tomorrow and take the final decision,” Gambhir said. Press conference. Asked again if Rohit would be part of the squad, Gambhir said: "The answer is yes."