3 replacements for Rohit Sharma as India's Test opener

3 players who can replace Rohit Sharma as India's Test opener

What happened in Indian cricket in 2025 so far?

The halfway point of 2025 is almost knocking on the door, and a lot has already transpired in the context of Indian cricket. The previous year was quite memorable for Team&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> and the ardent supporters of the Men in Blue. This year has proven to be no different.
The cricketing landscape has been as dynamic as ever. Many significant events have unfolded since the beginning of the year. Below is a brief overview of the major developments that have taken place in 2025 up until now.
<hr>
<h2>What happened in Indian cricket in 2025?</h2>
<h3>5. BGT 2024-25 loss, Rohit dropping himself in Sydney Test</h3>
<figure class="image align-center" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1735540977177_Australia--Cricket-Team.jpeg" alt="Australia Cricket Team." width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>BGT 2024-25: Australia celebrating one India's wickets&nbsp;(Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The&nbsp;2024-25 edition of the&nbsp;Border-Gavaskar Trophy got off to a flying start, with India winning the first Test by a 295-run margin. Jasprit Bumrah, India's standby skipper in the absence of Rohit Sharma, was the standout performer in the Perth Test. However, things went from bad to worse as the series progressed. India slumped to a 10-wicket loss in Adelaide before settling for a draw in a rain-interrupted third game.
A 184-run loss in the fourth Test meant India needed a win in the final game in Sydney to retain the BGT. Rohit's lean run with the bat continued in the red-ball format. The then-skipper managed to compile only 31 runs in five innings. In an unforeseen turn of events, Rohit reportedly dropped himself from the XI for the final game of the series. India ended up losing the game with more than seven sessions to spare.

<h3>4. Dominant run in white-ball series against England</h3>
<figure class="image align-center" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1739375700560_India-vs-England.webp" alt="India vs England" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>India celebrating their ODI series win vs England (Source: AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
England's&nbsp;tour of India was scheduled as a perfect warm-up assignment for both sides ahead of the much-anticipated Champions Trophy. India made full use of the limited-overs series to pick up steam for the mega event. The five-match T20I series was won in commanding fashion, with England's sole win coming in the third game, which was played in Rajkot.
The 50-over series commenced after a four-day break. The first two games were won by four-wicket margins, with 68 balls and 33 balls remaining, respectively. The final game of the series was the most dominant win of all seven victories by India in the series. England were bundled out for 214 in 34.2 overs while chasing a 357-run target set by the hosts.
<hr>
<h3>3. Champions Trophy 2025 title triumph</h3>
<figure class="image align-center" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1741543020382_India-Team.jpeg" alt="India Team" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>Indian team celebrating their Champions Trophy 2025 triumph (Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The&nbsp;2025 edition of the Champions Trophy was a truly remarkable run for the Indian side. All their group-stage games against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand ended in convincing wins for the Rohit Sharma-led side. India overcame Australia by a four-wicket margin to march to the final, where they faced the Kiwis once again. The Men in Blue secured a hard-fought win in Dubai to clinch the title.
What made the conquest special was the fact that they achieved it without the services of Jasprit Bumrah. The pace-bowling spearhead was sidelined due to a lower back stress injury, which ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. Another reason why the achievement was momentous was that the Champions Trophy victory was their first ICC 50-over silverware since the 2011 World Cup win.
<div class="ct-read-more ct-box mceNonEditable" data-label-text="Also Read" id="681c630f86e41fb4e9c2611d" data-fantasy-id="" data-msg="Also Read: cricket-appeal/3-players-who-can-replace-rohit-sharma-as-indias-test-opener"></div>

<h3>2. Suspension of IPL 2025</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1746776824953_FotoJet---2025-05-09T131207.jpeg" alt="Dharamshala Evaculation" width="960" height="600" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>Police personnel evacuating crowd at HPCA Stadium (Source: Sports Tak)</figcaption>
</figure>
The 18th edition of the IPL was suspended indefinitely, as per a press release issued by the BCCI, after the game between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) was called off due to a technical failure amid heightened political tensions between India and Pakistan. This decision came just days after acts of terrorism in Pahalgam. As of May 11, it is understood that the remainder of the tournament will be conducted soon.
Until IPL 2025 was operating regularly, it provided a host of adrenaline-charged moments for spectators worldwide. At the point when the tournament was halted, Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), PBKS, and Mumbai Indians (MI) occupied the four spots in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings were eliminated from the league.
<hr>
<h3>1. Rohit's retirement from Test cricket</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1746637840418_Rohit-Sharma.jpeg" alt="Rohit-Sharma" width="960" height="600" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>Rohit Sharma (Source: X)</figcaption>
</figure>
Rohit Sharma's&nbsp;retirement from the longest format of the game came as a massive shock to Indian cricket. The announcement broke out through an Instagram story on Rohit's account at around 7:29 pm (IST). Notably, multiple reports from various news agencies suggested that the&nbsp;BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) did not have the same trust in Rohit as a Test skipper after the disappointing Test series against New Zealand and Australia.
Rohit's decision to hang up his boots in the longest format was unexpected, especially with India's five-match tour of England scheduled to commence in June this year. This also sparked a hotly debated question regarding Rohit's successor as the Test captain. Several candidates could be handed over the mantle. However, nothing about this has been officially confirmed yet.

The halfway point of 2025 is almost knocking on the door, and a lot has already transpired in the context of Indian cricket. The previous year was quite memorable for Team&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a> and the ardent supporters of the Men in Blue. This year has proven to be no different.
The cricketing landscape has been as dynamic as ever. Many significant events have unfolded since the beginning of the year. Below is a brief overview of the major developments that have taken place in 2025 up until now.
<hr>
<h2>What happened in Indian cricket in 2025?</h2>
<h3>5. BGT 2024-25 loss, Rohit dropping himself in Sydney Test</h3>
<figure class="image align-center"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1735540977177_Australia--Cricket-Team.jpeg" alt="Australia Cricket Team." loading="lazy">
<figcaption>BGT 2024-25: Australia celebrating one India's wickets&nbsp;(Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The&nbsp;2024-25 edition of the&nbsp;Border-Gavaskar Trophy got off to a flying start, with India winning the first Test by a 295-run margin. Jasprit Bumrah, India's standby skipper in the absence of Rohit Sharma, was the standout performer in the Perth Test. However, things went from bad to worse as the series progressed. India slumped to a 10-wicket loss in Adelaide before settling for a draw in a rain-interrupted third game.
A 184-run loss in the fourth Test meant India needed a win in the final game in Sydney to retain the BGT. Rohit's lean run with the bat continued in the red-ball format. The then-skipper managed to compile only 31 runs in five innings. In an unforeseen turn of events, Rohit reportedly dropped himself from the XI for the final game of the series. India ended up losing the game with more than seven sessions to spare.

<h3>4. Dominant run in white-ball series against England</h3>
<figure class="image align-center"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1739375700560_India-vs-England.webp" alt="India vs England" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>India celebrating their ODI series win vs England (Source: AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
England's&nbsp;tour of India was scheduled as a perfect warm-up assignment for both sides ahead of the much-anticipated Champions Trophy. India made full use of the limited-overs series to pick up steam for the mega event. The five-match T20I series was won in commanding fashion, with England's sole win coming in the third game, which was played in Rajkot.
The 50-over series commenced after a four-day break. The first two games were won by four-wicket margins, with 68 balls and 33 balls remaining, respectively. The final game of the series was the most dominant win of all seven victories by India in the series. England were bundled out for 214 in 34.2 overs while chasing a 357-run target set by the hosts.
<hr>
<h3>3. Champions Trophy 2025 title triumph</h3>
<figure class="image align-center"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1741543020382_India-Team.jpeg" alt="India Team" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Indian team celebrating their Champions Trophy 2025 triumph (Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The&nbsp;2025 edition of the Champions Trophy was a truly remarkable run for the Indian side. All their group-stage games against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand ended in convincing wins for the Rohit Sharma-led side. India overcame Australia by a four-wicket margin to march to the final, where they faced the Kiwis once again. The Men in Blue secured a hard-fought win in Dubai to clinch the title.
What made the conquest special was the fact that they achieved it without the services of Jasprit Bumrah. The pace-bowling spearhead was sidelined due to a lower back stress injury, which ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. Another reason why the achievement was momentous was that the Champions Trophy victory was their first ICC 50-over silverware since the 2011 World Cup win.
<div class="ct-read-more ct-box mceNonEditable" data-label-text="Also Read" id="681c630f86e41fb4e9c2611d" data-fantasy-id="" data-msg="Also Read: cricket-appeal/3-players-who-can-replace-rohit-sharma-as-indias-test-opener"></div>

<h3>2. Suspension of IPL 2025</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1746776824953_FotoJet---2025-05-09T131207.jpeg" alt="Dharamshala Evaculation" width="538" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Police personnel evacuating crowd at HPCA Stadium (Source: Sports Tak)</figcaption>
</figure>
The 18th edition of the IPL was suspended indefinitely, as per a press release issued by the BCCI, after the game between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) was called off due to a technical failure amid heightened political tensions between India and Pakistan. This decision came just days after acts of terrorism in Pahalgam. As of May 11, it is understood that the remainder of the tournament will be conducted soon.
Until IPL 2025 was operating regularly, it provided a host of adrenaline-charged moments for spectators worldwide. At the point when the tournament was halted, Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), PBKS, and Mumbai Indians (MI) occupied the four spots in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings were eliminated from the league.
<hr>
<h3>1. Rohit's retirement from Test cricket</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1746637840418_Rohit-Sharma.jpeg" alt="Rohit-Sharma" width="530" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Rohit Sharma (Source: X)</figcaption>
</figure>
Rohit Sharma's&nbsp;retirement from the longest format of the game came as a massive shock to Indian cricket. The announcement broke out through an Instagram story on Rohit's account at around 7:29 pm (IST). Notably, multiple reports from various news agencies suggested that the&nbsp;BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) did not have the same trust in Rohit as a Test skipper after the disappointing Test series against New Zealand and Australia.
Rohit's decision to hang up his boots in the longest format was unexpected, especially with India's five-match tour of England scheduled to commence in June this year. This also sparked a hotly debated question regarding Rohit's successor as the Test captain. Several candidates could be handed over the mantle. However, nothing about this has been officially confirmed yet.

The halfway point of 2025 is almost knocking on the door, and a lot has already transpired in the context of Indian cricket. The previous year was quite memorable for Team&nbsp;India and the ardent su

It has been an action-packed 2025 for Indian cricket so far.

Check out everything that has happened in Indian cricket in 2025 so far, including major events, player news, and key moments, only on CricTracker.