Courtesy: BCCI/X
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has suggested Team India captain Rohit Sharma to bat at number five in the upcoming five-match Test series in England. Reports claim that following the Champions Trophy 2025 success, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is highly likely to trust Rohit for the leadership mantle for the red-ball series against the English side. Rohit saw himself under fierce criticism after failing to be effective with his bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 played in Australia. In the five-match series, India faced a 1-3 defeat, which also became their first Test series loss against the Aussies in 10 years.
Recently, Clarke appeared on the show 'Backstage With Boria' and also supported Rohit to lead Team India as a Test skipper. However, Clarke also feels Rohit should demote himself in the batting order as the Aussie opines that the 37-year-old can be impactful against the second new ball. "I think Rohit still has the game. Class is permanent, and you have seen that in the Champions Trophy final. He would be an ideal No. 5. He can face the second new ball if needed, and if there are early wickets, he can hold things up as well. But Rohit loves to open and can blunt the new ball as well. If I was an Indian selector, I’d pick Rohit for England as the captain and leader," said Clarke on the show. Clarke also added Rohit has a lot of cricket left in him and he should serve India as long as he wants to. "He has still cricket left in him and he should play as long as he wants," said Clarke.
India will strive to win Test series on English soil after 18 years
Under Rohit’s captaincy India will aim to win their first Test series in England after 18 years. Back in 2007, Rahul Dravid guided India to 1-0 victory on English soil. In the 2021-22 tour, India could’ve won the series after taking a 2-1 lead but in the final Test, the hosts showed courage and won the game to level the five-match series by 2-2.
In the previous tour, Rohit was the leading run-getter for India. He notched up 368 runs in eight innings of four matches at an average of 52.57. The opener also struck a couple of half-centuries and a ton. The veteran will look to be among the runs in India’s crucial assignment that will take place from June 20 to August 4.
