Is Rohit Sharma the worst Test captain Indian cricket has ever had?

The last time India lost 3 consecutive Tests in a series was back in 1976-77, when they were defeated by England.

As Team India endured their first-ever 3-0 Test series whitewash on home soil, courtesy of New Zealand in Mumbai, a shadow was cast over one of the strongest teams in world cricket. For many, this shocking result stirred memories of past humblings—a time when Indian cricket was not the powerhouse as it is today.

 

Rewind the clock, and you’ll find the last time India lost three consecutive Tests in a series was in 1958-59, falling to the formidable West Indies in a five-match Test series under Vinoo Mankad’s captaincy. Nearly two decades later, in 1976-77, it happened again as Bishan Singh Bedi’s squad suffered three consecutive losses at home against England. But back then, India was still finding its feet on the global stage, a minnow compared to today’s cricketing superpowers.

 

Fast forward 48 years, and Indian cricket—a giant in the sport, a force to be reckoned with—has faced an unprecedented whitewash in a three-match Test series at home. This time, the team was under the command of Rohit Sharma, a captain who recently led India to T20 World Cup glory. Yet here, on home soil, India’s fortress was breached.

 

Does this crushing series defeat, with the numbers starkly against him, make Rohit Sharma the worst Test captain India has ever had? The raw statistics alone leave fans with a sense of shock, casting doubts over his leadership.

 

However, it’s worth noting that Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi still holds the record for the most Test match losses (four) as India’s captain at home in a single calendar year. 

Indian captains to lose 3 or more home Tests in a calendar year

• Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi – 4 (1969)
• Kapil Dev – 3 (1983)
• Rohit Sharma – 3 (2024)

 

India's biggest debacles at home (3 consecutive losses in a series)
By Team	Year
West Indies	1958-59
England	1976-77
New Zealand	2024

 

This statistic alone highlights how challenging it has been to beat India in red-ball cricket over the years, and it raises questions about whether Rohit Sharma could be considered one of the least successful captains to lead India in Test cricket.

 

Rohit took full responsibility for the defeat, admitting that his decisions throughout the Test series were not up to the mark, nor were his performances with the bat across all innings.

 

"You know, losing a series, losing a Test is never easy; it's something that’s hard to digest. Again, we didn't play our best cricket, we know that, and we have to accept it. They (New Zealand) did much better than us. We made a lot of mistakes, and we'll have to accept that. We didn't put enough runs on the board in the 1st innings (in Bengaluru and Pune), and we were behind in the game. Here, we got a 30-run lead, and we thought we were ahead; the target was achievable as well, but we had to do better," Rohit said during the post-match presentation.

 

"You want runs on the board as well; that's something that was on my mind (regarding his own batting today), but it didn’t come off, and when that happens, it doesn’t look great. There are certain ideas in my mind when I go to bat, but in this series, it didn’t come off, and that’s disappointing for me. Those guys showed how to bat on these surfaces (speaking of Pant, Jaiswal, and Gill); you've got to be proactive. We have been playing on such pitches for the last 3-4 years, and we know how to play well. But this series, it didn’t come off, and that's going to hurt. Also, I wasn’t at my best with both the bat and as a captain, which is something that will rankle me. But we didn’t perform well collectively, and that’s the reason for these losses," he added.  Rohit Sharma captaincy record in Tests (Overall)  Rohit has won more than 50% of his matches as Test captain of the team but the recent outing against New Zealand will be a low point in his career as he himself said after the series defeat in Mumbai. 

Rohit Sharma captaincy record in Tests
Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	NR	Win%
21	12	7	0	2	0	57.00%

  Rohit Sharma captaincy In Tests (at home)  Rohit's home record in captaincy was decent prior to the 3-0 drubbing against New Zealand and will be disappointed with the big losses. He has won 10 out of 16 home Tests so far. 

Rohit Sharma captaincy record in home Tests
Matches	Won	Drawn/Tie	Lost	NR
16	10	1	5	0

  Rohit Sharma captaincy In Tests (away from home)  With the upcoming Test series down under agianst the Aussies, Rohit Sharma's away Test record as captain will be under the radar again as India look to do the unthinkable and register at least a 4-0 win in the 5-match series, which will enable them to book a place in the WTC final next year. 

Rohit Sharma captaincy record in away Tests
Matches	Won	Drawn/Tie	Lost	NR
5	2	1	2	0

  Virat Kohli Test captaincy record  Rohit's predecessor, Virat Kohli is still India's best Test captain in terms of the results he produced when he was incharge of the team. He also took India to the final of the inaugural World Test championship against New Zealand but lost it. Rohit's predecessor, Virat Kohli is still India's best Test captain in terms of the results he produced when he was incharge of the team. He also took India to the final of the inaugural World Test championship against New Zealand but lost it.  

Virat Kohli as Indian Test captain
	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	NR	W/L	Win %	Loss %	%NR	%
2014-2022	68	40	17	0	11	0	2.35	58.82	25	0	70.17
In India	31	24	2	0	5	0	-	77.42	6.45	0	-
Overseas	37	16	15	0	6	0	-	43.24	40.54	0	-

  MS Dhoni Test captaincy record  Considered as the best Indian captain in all formats, MS Dhoni did have a decent record at home. However Dhoni didn't have that much luck in the overseas series, only managing to win 6 of the 30 matches he led for India. 

MS Dhoni as Indian Test captain
	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	NR	W/L	Win %	Loss %	%NR	%
2008-2014	60	27	18	0	15	0	1.5	45	30	0	60
In India	30	21	3	0	6	0	-	70	10	-	-
Overseas	30	6	15	0	9	0	-	20	50	-	-