I would be keeping the faith with Rohit, I think he is a very good captain: Michael Clarke

Rohit Sharma's performance as Test captain has come under scrutiny after India lost the World Test Championship final to Australia.

Published - 19 Jun 2023, 18:32 IST | Updated - 19 Jun 2023, 19:04 IST

3 Min Read

Ever since India lost the World Test Championship final, Rohit Sharma's position as the Test captain has come under scrutiny. This is the second time India have ended up on the losing side in the knockouts of an ICC event under Rohit. The Men in Blue, under Rohit's captaincy, crashed out in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year.

Amidst all the predictions and rumours regarding Rohit's future captaincy, 2019 ODI World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke has come out in support of the opener. Clarke felt that India reaching consecutive WTC finals is a commendable feat and Rohit's captaincy credentials should not be judged based on one match alone.

"I would be keeping the faith with Rohit, I think he is a very good captain. I like his aggressive approach, he looks to be as positive as he can be. He has had a lot of success as a leader (look at his IPL record for Mumbai) just because India did not win the Test World Championship doesn't mean Rohit is not the right guy to lead India," the New South Wales-born told Revsports.

Besides, Michael Clarke also points out two important things about Rohit Sharma. The Aussie believes that people should not judge him based on a solitary WTC final. Moreover, he pointed out the fact that to play in two consecutive finals is a monumental achievement and it requires playing good cricket consistently over four years. Hence, losing the ultimate final does not make the Indian side a bad team. Apart from it, he also lauded Sharma for his batting and recalled his century in the last series.

"Since taking over as captain he has won you a Test series against Australia at home. He has done well as a batter as well. Think of his hundred in the last series. Losing a one-off final does not make him a bad captain and nor does it make India a bad team. To make consecutive finals is not easy. What it means is that India was the only team to play consistently well over a period of four years. To do so in Test cricket is commendable and I would urge you to look at that as well before making any kind of judgement call," Clarke further continued.

I'm backing Australia to come out on top: Clarke

The 42-year-old, Michael Clarke, gave his reaction to how the Ashes has started. England and Australia have not given each other an inch in the ongoing first Test at Edgbaston. Clarke was thrilled with the fiery start to the Ashes but he also stated that he had expected this as two top teams are playing each other.

"The Ashes has got off to a great start - both teams are playing some great Test cricket. That's what you expect from a marquee series like this," the former Australian skipper stated.

"England are continuing to play the brand of cricket they have been for the past 12 months and the Aussies are finding a way to combat that. This is going to be a great series but of course, I'm backing Australia to come out on top," Clarke concluded.

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The Ashes 2023 World Test Championship 2023-25 India Australia England Michael Clarke Rohit Sharma ICC World Test Championship