Rohit Sharma is among the top five run-getters as an opener in Tests since 2021-24. Let’s have a look at the Rohit Sharma’s numbers.
Yes, Rohit Sharma is in the midst of an extended lean patch. The numbers are there for all to see, as he has scored just 142 runs in his last 6 Tests (12 innings) at a paltry average of 11.83 with a solitary fifty to his name.
It is also true that in his comeback Test at the Adelaide Oval, the India skipper dropped himself down the order to no. 6. There is no concerted narrative here that coaxes him to come back as opener as his record as an opener in the 2024-25 season has been equally miserable. He has just managed 133 runs in 10 innings at an average of 13.3 as an opener since the Chennai Test against Bangladesh in September 2024.
If at all there is anything, the calls to drop the India skipper have started to surface. But can you really drop your skipper in the midst of a high-profile series like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25?
One needs context here and things need to be seen in the right perspective. Rohit has played as an opener in Tests since October 2019. He has scored 2685 runs in 37 Tests (64 innings) as opener in Tests at an average of 44.01 with 9 hundreds and 8 fifties.
Rohit is the fourth-highest run-getter as opener from 2021-24
If one looks at Rohit’s stats since 2021, he has managed to score 2129 runs in 32 Tests (58 innings) at a middling average of 38.7. He is, in fact, the fourth-highest run-getter as an opener in the said period overall. Now, the average may not look optimum, but seen in relation to what the others have done, it can be observed that there are only three openers with a 40+ average in the period under consideration (min 2000 runs).
Top 5 run-scorers as openers (2021-24)
| Player | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s/50s | 0 |
| Dimuth | 31 | 56 | 2 | 2552 | 244 | 47.25 | 7/14 | 0 |
| Usman Khawaja | 30 | 56 | 6 | 2360 | 195* | 47.2 | 5/12 | 4 |
| Zak Crawley | 41 | 77 | 2 | 2238 | 189 | 29.84 | 3/13 | 7 |
| Rohit Sharma | 32 | 58 | 3 | 2129 | 161 | 38.7 | 6/8 | 2 |
| Kraigg Brathwaite | 32 | 63 | 3 | 2124 | 182 | 35.4 | 4/11 | 5 |
Read More: BGT 2024-25: Ahead of Gabba Test, recalibration of top 6 need of the hour for India
India’s openers average 38.8 from 2021-24, the second-best overall in this period
The period under consideration has seen a remarkable rise in the prowess of bowlers and it can be safely assumed that it is not a great batting era. The numbers corroborate this assumption. Looking particularly at openers’ average in the 2021-24 period, only one team’s openers have averaged in excess of 40, i.e., Sri Lanka.
Which team has the second-best average for openers in this period? It is India, of course, the numbers getting a positive boost due to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s good outputs since he made his Test debut in 2023. Nevertheless, this chunk of numbers also has a lot of solid bricks laid by their skipper Rohit Sharma.
Teamwise performance of openers (2021-24)
| Team – Openers | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s/50s |
| England – 9 | 54 | 206 | 8 | 6052 | 189 | 30.56 | 8/35 |
| India – 6 | 42 | 156 | 5 | 5860 | 214* | 38.8 | 15/26 |
| Sri Lanka – 8 | 33 | 122 | 5 | 4821 | 244 | 41.2 | 11/30 |
| Australia – 9 | 36 | 136 | 12 | 4664 | 200 | 37.61 | 7/23 |
| Pakistan – 7 | 29 | 108 | 6 | 3807 | 215* | 37.32 | 10/16 |
| West Indies – 7 | 32 | 126 | 8 | 3639 | 207* | 30.83 | 5/16 |
| New Zealand – 5 | 32 | 120 | 2 | 3610 | 252 | 30.59 | 4/24 |
| South Africa – 7 | 30 | 112 | 4 | 3485 | 185 | 32.26 | 7/15 |
| Bangladesh – 9 | 31 | 122 | 4 | 2997 | 137 | 25.39 | 4/17 |
| Zimbabwe – 8 | 8 | 32 | 2 | 818 | 87 | 27.26 | 0/4 |
| Afghanistan – 4 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 540 | 114 | 27 | 1/3 |
| Ireland – 4 | 6 | 24 | 2 | 351 | 79 | 15.95 | 0/2 |
Read More: Rohit Sharma looked clueless as skipper in Adelaide; Does he lack the killer instinct?
Rohit still the fourth-highest run-scorer as opener in 2024
Coming to the most striking stat, one could observe that Rohit Sharma has scored the fourth-most runs as opener in 2024. He has aggregated 588 runs in 11 Tests (21 innings), of course, at an underwhelming average of 29.4. He also has two hundreds to his name this year.
It is easily discernible that his numbers have taken a hit since the 2024-25 season kicked off.
Top 5 run-scorers as openers (in 2024)
| Player | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s/50s |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 13 | 25 | 1 | 1304 | 214* | 54.33 | 3/7 |
| Ben Duckett | 15 | 29 | 1 | 1050 | 153 | 37.5 | 2/5 |
| Zak Crawley | 13 | 23 | 0 | 669 | 79 | 29.08 | 0/6 |
| Rohit Sharma | 11 | 21 | 1 | 588 | 131 | 29.4 | 2/2 |
| Tom Latham | 11 | 22 | 0 | 551 | 86 | 25.04 | 0/3 |
Patience the need of the hour in BGT 2024-25
Now, it is not a guarantee that Rohit will definitely come good in the ongoing BGT 2024-25. But is there any guarantee in the fast-paced wicket-laden Test era that we inhabit?
It is not sure that Rohit will come at no. 6 or return as opener in Gabba Test. But one thing is sure that he is not as bad a player as his current form suggests. If at all, he is still in the upper bracket of batters in his category, who have struggled more in this period than the preceding eras.
With the right amount of application, patience and some luck, Rohit might still find his mojo back, something that the fans will only rejoice about.
The third Test of BGT 2024-25 will be played at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 14-18.
Read More: BGT 2024-25: Advantage India or Australia, going into Gabba Test?
