Rohit Sharma is experiencing a challenging phase, both as a Test batsman and as the Indian team’s captain. In August 2024, Rohit held the 6th position in the ICC Test rankings, but a dip in form has seen him fall significantly. Before the second Test against New Zealand, he was ranked 15th, but his lackluster performance in the series has now dropped him nine spots to 24th — marking his lowest ranking in nearly six years. Rohit’s previous low was 44th in December 2018, although he soon rebounded to reach 17th within a year. His peak came during 2021-23, where he consistently ranked among the top five batters, highlighting his dominance in red-ball cricket.
In the recent series against New Zealand, barring a fifty in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test, Rohit Sharma managed low scores of 2, 0, and 8 in three other innings. These struggles contributed to India’s series defeat to the Kiwis, underscoring the captain’s challenging run. Further, a lack of big scores against both New Zealand and Bangladesh also played a part in his drop down the rankings.
Meanwhile, South African pacer Kagiso Rabada capitalized on his stellar form, recently securing the top spot in the ICC Test bowling rankings. In the first Test against Bangladesh, Rabada became the fastest to reach 300 Test wickets, overtaking India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who went wicketless in the Pune Test against New Zealand, leading to his drop in the rankings. Rabada continues to build his lead in the ongoing second Test against Bangladesh, setting a high bar for competitors in the Test bowling charts.
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