Rohit Sharma's Year of Testing- Criticism, Review, and the Future".

Rohit Sharma is one of India's most feted cricketers, and this is the hour of reckoning for him with 2024 coming to an end. This follows a dreadful Test series by India against Australia, especially in the loss that came at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Sharma's non-performance has indeed become the word on everyone's lips in cricketing circles lately. It is in such a mess that his last post of the year on Instagram is doing the rounds, giving one a glimpse of his mind during the chaos.

A Year of Highs and Lows for Rohit Sharma

The year 2024 has been mixed for Sharma. He was the captain of the Indian cricket team that triumphed at the T20 World Cup and won it as a glory; he declared himself the best leader for the country. He had success which was followed by poor batting in the longer formats of the game. He was long retired from the T20 international platform, but this Test series against Australia could have been a platform for Sharma to make his mark. The batting of the man since he has reached Australia has been terrible. Scores of the series combined with a practice match stand at 3, 3, 6, 10, 3, and 9. A successive list of low scores attracted heavy criticism from supporters and experts. However, the captaincy is still that thing which has been working for Sharma and is keeping him within the playing eleven as his side will look for a draw in the final Test to split the series.

The Viral Instagram Post: A Moment of Reflection

Amid all the noise, Sharma uploaded an introspective Instagram post that connected with fans as well as to cricket followers very well: "For all the ups & downs, and everything in between, Thank you 2024 he captioned it- expressing the gratitude towards what he has been learning from that year. This post quickly became viral, which was construed as a means of strength to face reality with full determination.

What was striking is that his simplicity and sincerity did come across. Here, indeed, is one getting a very rare insight into how a professional sportsperson goes about things in these trying times. The most important, of course, was that besides statistics and performance, people were also human beings battling their respective problems and goals.

Irfan Pathan's Withering Attack

Despite getting tremendous support on his social media, Sharma could not save himself from the much-deserved flak he got regarding his performance. Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan didn't hesitate in stating that perhaps Sharma was getting more than enough playing opportunities based purely on his merits.

"A player who has made around 20,000 runs-even then the manner in which Rohit is doing now, his form seems not to be favouring him, at all", Pathan replied while speaking on Star Sports show. He thought that Sharma himself was being justified to be left in the squad more for his contribution as a leader.

Pathan elaborated on some other options where players such as K.L. Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill could have fared very well for India in the top order. "If he wasn't the captain, he may not be playing right now," Pathan added while talking of the delicate balance between a player's form and his responsibility of captaining the team.

A Harsh Reality Check

Pathan highlights a grim fact for Sharma- his captaincy alone cannot work as a lifeline to continue saving him from criticism. "Whenever I watch Rohit Sharma play, I used to want Rohit to always win. He is not winning. Even before traveling to Australia, he wasn't getting runs." Pathan concluded that the form was not merely a recent collapse but part of a larger decay in form.

He couldn't help but express his discontent when he emphasized that Sharma's struggles were also affecting the team. For a player who had always been the epitome of elegant stroke play and domination of bowlers, this phase stands in stark contrast to the high standards set all along his career.

The Road Ahead for Rohit Sharma

For Sharma, the beginning of the year will bring forth a lot of challenges. His first task will be to regroup and re-establish himself at the crease, thereby putting his critics on the backfoot once again. Beyond that, Sharma's role is crucial as a captain, which India needs when it navigates through the Test series and all the other games that are on the horizon.

The brief viral post by an Instagram user captures Sharma's journey: resilience in the face of adversity. It is a reminder that even the greatest players run through times when nothing seems to be going right, and their mettle and compositions are put to test in how they respond to that adversity.

For Sharma, 2025 marks the beginning of a new opportunity to rebuild and conquer new summits. Whether he can overcome these current struggles and play a memorable game will be known only later, but one thing is sure-the cricketing world will look for whether one of India's best batsmen is going to resurface.