What's next for Rohit Sharma?

"I think we judge talent wrong. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people's ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That's the only thing we see as talent. Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent". - Rahul Dravid

Rohit Sharma is regarded as one of the most talented batsmen in the cricketing world, often, Rohit's shots are defined as 'effortless', the definition of the term 'effortless' is, something which is achieved with admirable ease, Rohit's shots are admirable but has he achieved everything with ease?

Now, basking in glory, Rohit smiles and steps onto the cricket field. For the initial six years of his career, he had no limelight, he had no statistics to show, he had only one term which defined him, the term was 'talent', the word has been associated with Rohit and has even haunted him at times.

2010 Micromax Cup, Rohit Sharma was closing in on a century against Zimbabwe, "Pulls it and that's six, Rohit Sharma shows his talent again", these were the words by the commentator.

Three years later, his career transformed in a way which would change the mindset of the cricketing world, the transformation which would allow the world to witness three double centuries in one-day internationals. He was promoted to open the batting, he capitalized and made the spot his own.

He conquered the IPL, he conquered limited overs cricket. He led Mumbai Indians to three IPL titles, he occasionally captained India, he led India to the Nidahas Trophy title and now, he led India to the Asia Cup title.

From the shadows, emerged a leader, a leader who had the ability to carry his team, a leader who could back his players, a leader who knew to produce the results but amidst this, a failure struck. On September 28, India won the Asia Cup under Rohit Sharma, the next day, Rohit couldn't make it to the Test squad and the day after, Rohit jumped to number two in the ICC batsman's rankings.

Throughout the Asia Cup, the Indian skipper was in phenomenal touch. With 317 runs in the tournament, Sharma was the second highest scorer. With expectations, his fans had a glance at India's squad for the two tests against Windies, during India's English struggle. Cricket fans and pundits were hoping for Rohit Sharma to make it to the Test squad as an opener but does Rohit really deserve a go?

Currently, there are two dilemmas which have struck Rohit Sharma and his fans. First, should Rohit Sharma lead the Indian side in limited overs cricket? Second, why is Rohit Sharma not a part of the Test squad?

Should Rohit take the Captain's role?

The Indian opener has led the Men in Blue incredibly, he has taken every opportunity which has come his way so far. His numbers in his short captaincy career are staggering — he has a win percentage of 87.50 in ODIs (7 wins in 8 matches) and 88.88 in T20Is (8 wins in 9 matches).

"Whatever I have seen of him (Dhoni) leading the side for all these years, he never panicked, took time while taking decisions. There are those similarities in me too," Rohit said in the post-match press conference. The 31-year-old was lauded for his cool and calm behavior on the field in the Asia Cup.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli is a fiery skipper, his aggression on the field lifts up his team's spirit and energy on the ground. Kohli was appointed Captain in 2017 after MS Dhoni stepped down from the role. Since the 2017 England series, the flamboyant batsman has led the side successfully.

Kohli has done no wrong to be removed as Captain, his batting form may take a major blow if Rohit Sharma is appointed as the full-time skipper. To ease the pressure from Kohli, the selectors could opt to make Sharma the T20 skipper with Kohli leading the ODI and Test side.

Rohit Sharma in Test Cricket?

With an abundance of talent in their ranks, the Indian team is unlikely to go back to Rohit Sharma in Test Cricket. During the England tour, the fans and cricket pundits wanted the Mumbaikar to be included in the side as an opener. "An attacking opener can do wonders in Test Cricket'', with the prime example of Virender Sehwag, the fans resort to this line.

The next generation of batsmen are coming into the scene, the likes of KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, and Mayank Agarwal are the three openers for the Windies series. All three of them have earned their spot, Agarwal and Shaw have earned it through domestic cricket whereas Rahul has earned it through his recent red-ball performances.

Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, with these four in the middle order, it's not possible to accommodate Sharma in the middle order. The Australian conditions will suit Sharma's style of batting but players who have made their way through the ranks need to be rewarded for their domestic performances.

Earning a test call-up on the basis of limited overs form sounds irrelevant or foolish, by this criteria, Shikhar Dhawan should be a permanent member of the test side. In order to make a test comeback, Rohit Sharma should go back to Ranji Trophy cricket, his future in limited overs cricket is bright, but the looming black clouds won't let him don the whites without performing.