'They Missed Virat Kohli’s Captaincy': Michael Vaughan Criticises Rohit Sharma's Leadership After India's Defeat Against England

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has criticised Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the first Test, which India lost by 28 runs.

Virat Kohli, back when he was the captain, during the Fourth IND vs ENG Test Match at The Kia Oval on September 06, 2021 in England

Source : Getty

India suffered a surprising 28-run defeat against England in the first IND vs ENG Test of the ongoing five-match series at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on January 28 (Sunday). Despite securing a substantial 190-run lead in the first innings, the Rohit Sharma-led side could only manage to score 202 runs in the fourth innings in pursuit of a 231-run target. Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that India might not have faced defeat if led by Virat Kohli instead of Rohit Sharma.

Michael Vaughan criticised Rohit Sharma, stating that he switched off during the first India vs England Test when India had a chance to strengthen their position. According to Vaughan, India badly missed Virat Kohli's captaincy in Hyderabad, and if the 35-year-old Kohli had been leading the side, India wouldn't have lost the game in Hyderabad.

“They missed Virat Kohli’s captaincy massively in Test cricket. Under Virat’s captaincy that week, India wouldn’t have lost the game. Rohit is a legend and a great player. But I felt he just switched off completely,” Vaughan said in a discussion on the YouTube channel ‘Club Prairie Fire’.

Watch the video clip here:

Michael Vaughan 🎙️: " India wouldn't have lost the match, had Virat Kohli been the Captain " pic.twitter.com/3kjXErYGDA

— RCB Xtra. (@Rcb_Xtra) January 31, 2024

In his column for The Telegraph last week, Michael Vaughan wrote on a similar note, labelling Rohit Sharma's captaincy as "average," particularly noting that the bowlers had no effective response to Ollie Pope's sweeping tactics during the first Test against England.

“I thought Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was very, very average. I thought he was so reactive; I don’t think he manoeuvred his field or was proactive with his bowling changes. And he didn’t have any answer to Ollie Pope’s sweeps or reverse sweeps,” Vaughan wrote.

The 2nd India vs England Test is scheduled to begin on February 2 in Visakhapatnam. After Virat Kohli, who pulled out of the first two Tests of the series due to personal reasons, India will also be without the services of KL Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who have been ruled out due to injuries.