'Rohit Sharma is finished': India captain told to 'retire', hand over leadership to Bumrah as fans lose patience

Rohit Sharma's return as an opener did not bear the desired result at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as the right-handed batter once again registered a single-digit score in the series. Rohit, 37, lasted just five balls in the first innings of the fourth Test against Australia and departed after scoring just 3 runs.

The Indian captain has come under severe scrutiny and criticism for his below-par returns in Tests. As expected, netizens are not pleased with Rohit's performance, and his latest dismissal has sparked a plethora of reactions on social media.

In his last 14 innings, Rohit Sharma has managed just 152 runs. After missing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth, Rohit has registered scores of 3,6,10 and 3. In the absence of Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah led India in the first Test, which the visitors won by 295 runs.

Rohit Sharma's lack of runs and his captaincy are both being questioned. In the Melbourne Test, the management went in with three all-rounders (Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy).

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one user wrote, "Out of form is one thing, but Rohit Sharma is giving Negative Energy now. That Negative energy is reflecting not just on his batting performance but also showing on team. Never thought player like him will be washed like this even in sunset phase of career. But that’s what Test cricket does. Take Retirement and Leave."

Here are some of the other reactions:

Rohit Sharma's form under scanner

Even in the pink-ball practice game against Australia Prime Minister's XI, Rohit disappointed, scoring just three runs. In the prior series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, the India captain registered one score of more than 50.

After Rohit Sharma's dismissal, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting called out the Indian captain for playing a lazy shot. "That’s just a lazy, not-switched-on, not-up-for-the-moment type of shot,” Ricky Ponting said on 7 Cricket.

Earlier, former India captain and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar had said that Rohit might retire if he fails to score runs in Melbourne and Sydney. Gavaskar made the comment during the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at Gabba, Brisbane.

"I think Rohit obviously will get the opportunity to play in the next couple of matches, that’s for sure. But maybe at the end of it, if he hasn’t scored runs, my feeling is that he himself will take the call," he had said while doing commentary for ABC Sport.

"He's a very conscientious cricketer, he will not want to be a burden on the team. He's a cricketer who cares very deeply for Indian cricket. So if he doesn't score runs in the next couple of games, I think he himself will step down," he added.