“How many captains have done that in the past?” - Former India all-rounder’s huge statement on Rohit Sharma post BGT 2024-25

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has defended current skipper Rohit Sharma amid criticism after a disappointing performance in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Down Under. Rohit was woefully out of form, scoring only 31 runs from five innings in three Tests at an average of 6.20 before opting out of the series finale in Sydney.

The 37-year-old came into the Australian series on the back of another sub-par series against New Zealand at home, scoring only 91 runs at an average of 15.16 in six innings. Rohit's last 15 Test innings have yielded him just 164 runs at an average of under 11 with a lone half-century.

Yet, during a recent event, Yuvraj hailed Rohit's overall body of work and praised the skipper for dropping himself for the final Australian Test.

"Rohit Sharma has won the T20 World Cup as captain, he was captain when India played the ODI World Cup final. He led MI (Mumbai Indians) to five IPL titles. The guy has stepped down from the last match and gave somebody else a chance. How many captains have done that in the past? Please tell me," he said [via Hindustan Times].

Rohit's captaincy has come under scrutiny as well, with India losing five out of their last six Tests under him. Australia won the BGT 2024-25 by a 3-1 margin. India's lone win came in the series opener in Perth with Jasprit Bumrah leading the side, as Rohit missed out due to the birth of his second child.

"Gautam has just come into the system, he needs more time" - Yuvraj Singh

Gambhir's coaching tenure has gotten off to a rocky start [Credit: Getty]

In the same interview, Yuvraj Singh also defended head coach Gautam Gambhir despite India's poor results, saying a judgment shouldn't be passed in such a short span. Gambhir took over as India's head coach in July, and the side has since struggled with several shocking results.

India lost the ODI series in Sri Lanka 0-2 before losing back-to-back Test series against New Zealand at home and against Australia in Australia.

"I always look at the team graph over a five-year period or three years. Gautam has just come into the system, he needs more time," Yuvraj said.

The former all-rounder also urged the critics to focus on the positives from the Australian tour.

"Nitish scored a hundred on his first tour, it is amazing. Not sure how many have done that. Jaiswal scored 150 plus in his first Test in Australia, it is highly commendable. We should talk about these performances more," he added.

Team India will look to get back to winning ways in the upcoming five-T20I series at home against England, starting January 22.