What does the future hold for out-of-form India captain Rohit Sharma?

STEVE SMITH WAS said to be a shadow of his best self before he scored a long overdue hundred against India in the Brisbane Test. And the adage about London buses came to mind when he repeated the feat with a much more fluent and dominant century in Melbourne.

- Tushar Bhaduri

It proved that it's often perilous to write off champions. Now, Rohit Sharma's Test record may not have reached the heights of the former Australia captain, but he is still one of the leading lights in contemporary cricket.

Rohit has had one 50-plus score in his last 14 visits to the crease, and his last Test hundred came in March in the home series against England, a high point for him as a batsman and skipper. The last home summer was a forgettable one and he has not reached double figures in his four innings in Australia since joining the team after the birth of his second child.

Rohit has been at the receiving end of some almost-unplayable deliveries – the pearler he got from Pat Cummins in the second innings in Adelaide comes to mind – but often he has looked out of sorts and unsure on both edges of the bat. He has nicked deliveries outside the off-stump and fallen LBW to nip-backers.

Back to his familiar spot at the top of the order, the half-hearted pull shot he played in the Melbourne first innings would have left his fans concerned. Rohit may still get over this slump in the few remaining knocks Down Under but at 37, it's understandable if questions are asked about his medium-term future in the game.

It hasn't been long since he was the toast of the nation after ending India's long trophy drought in ICC tournaments. Rohit was lauded for leading from the front and instilling an aggressive intent in a team that had recently suffered major disappointment in the final of a home 50-over World Cup after dominating the whole tournament.