Is Rohit Sharma’s renewed white-ball freedom impacting his Test batting

Is Rohit Sharma’s renewed white-ball freedom impacting his Test batting

The pressure on India captain Rohit Sharma is mounting with each passing innings. He has struggled with the bat, and India’s mixed results have only added to the scrutiny surrounding him. With the bat, Rohit looks far removed from the dominant opener who once dismantled bowling attacks at will. His peak form in 2021 now feels like a distant memory. But what do the numbers reveal about the difference between the Rohit of 2021 and today?

The year 2021 is a fitting benchmark for comparison, as it statistically represents Rohit’s best year in Test cricket. During this period, he scored the most runs he has ever managed in a calendar year and recorded his highest average in seasons where he played more than 10 innings.

The basic numbers paint a stark picture of Rohit’s decline. In 2021, he amassed 906 runs from 21 innings at an average of 47.68. By contrast, his statistics for 2024 show 607 runs from 24 innings at an average of 26.39. In roughly the same number of innings, he has scored significantly fewer runs, at a much lower average.

Does this signify a fundamental decline in Rohit’s technique? One way to assess this is by examining his false shot percentage. According to this metric, the answer appears to be no. There has been minimal change in the percentage of false shots played by Rohit, which has risen only slightly from 17.8% in 2021 to 17.9% in 2024.

Rather than a decline in technique, Rohit’s dip in performance may be better attributed to a change in approach. A deeper analysis of his numbers suggests this might indeed be the case. The Rohit of 2024 is attacking and defending a greater percentage of deliveries while playing significantly fewer shots to rotate the strike. Crucially, the percentage of balls he is leaving — a cornerstone of his success in 2021 — has plummeted from 16% to just 6%.

This shift in shot selection aligns with changes observed in his white-ball game, which culminated in his exceptional form during the ODI and T20 World Cups over the last two years. The emphasis on adding greater intent to his white-ball batting appears to have spilt over into the Test arena.

The corridor of uncertainty remains the Achilles’ heel for most batters worldwide. Between 2021 and 2024, length deliveries on or outside off-stump have produced the lowest averages for batters across the globe. In 2021, Rohit was a master of this challenge, averaging 49.37 against length deliveries outside off-stump over 1,037 balls. By contrast, in 2024, he has faced just 271 such deliveries, averaging a paltry 10.88 — a striking decline.

Rohit’s dismissal in Brisbane typifies this change. He nicked off to a good-length delivery in the channel from Pat Cummins, his opposite number. The Rohit of 2021 might have chosen to let such a delivery pass gracefully into Alex Carey’s gloves rather than playing at it.

In line with his overall statistics, Rohit’s approach to deliveries outside off-stump has shifted markedly. While the proportion of balls he attacks has risen only slightly, the percentage of balls he defends has increased significantly. Simultaneously, his attempts to rotate the strike have decreased, and his tendency to leave such balls has dropped from 22.5% in 2021 to just 14.3% in 2024.

This has serious implications. The length ball is among the most frequently bowled deliveries in cricket, and if Rohit continues to struggle against it, it represents a glaring vulnerability in his game.

To lead India forward as both a batter and a captain, his first priority must be addressing the issue of length balls outside off-stump — a challenge that could define the next phase of his career.