IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma must Retire, like Ravichandran Ashwin

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6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18, 3, 6, 10, 3. No brain teaser, this is the sequence of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma's scores in his last 14 innings in Test cricket. With 155 runs scored at an average of 11.07, Hit Man is now haunted.

It not one failure, it is a series of failures. Those who praised him sky-high after the ICC T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies are now gunning for him. Sack him, drop him, the chants have reached a crescendo. And why not? Rohit has failed and he also continues to fail India.

The knives are out, Rohit is the target. No, nobody is talking of bloodshed in any form but how the Mumbaikar has been awful. His batting template was a delight. Now it is a nightmare. The way he perished on Friday in the first innings of the fourth Test in the BGT Series at the MCG is a reminder he has forgotten the grammar of his batting. For those who said he has been training hard at practice, don't believe that. Numbers don't lie, scroll up. His scores are pathetic and he has fiddled with his own batting position as well as created a disbalance in the side.

There is no place for a captain at sea. The horrendous shot he played against Pat Cummins on Friday was lousy as he perished for three runs. Watch the replays, and you will realise, Rohit is in worst form. If there is intent, it is missing. He has fiddled with the team and he has changed his own batting position. All for himself, not the team. It's a bit like the snake and ladder game in Ludo. He dropped Shubman Gill for the fourth Test, as he is out of form. Pray, what about Rohit's own runs. They are now in ruins.

It is not one Test or a few innings where Rohit Sharma failed. He has been a disaster, plus a captain whose skills as a leader are under scrutiny. Start from the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand till now, he has fared poorly. When he took a paternity break and was absent for the first Test, it was accepted. However, his return has been worse. No form, a liability, his mind is somewhere else. Sadly, the man who won India the first Test in Perth and is now the tormentor - Jasprit Bumrah -- has been reduced to just a bowler. Had he been in charge, there may have been a fresh thought process.

Truth be told, Rohit does not find a place in the 11. Trolls from Pakistan are pointing at his pot belly. Is this the image of a captain? Rohit had said before the Boxing Day Test, Virat Kohli would bounce back to form. Who will read out the riot act to Rohit that he has to go. There were two chances for him to go out on a high, after the ICC ODI World Cup last year, and then the ICC T20 World Cup this year. No, he chose to lead, not apply himself.

Imagine, batters like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara grind it out in domestic cricket. Rohit is like that spoilt kid, he has been allowed to play, not based on performance. The Indian team is in transition, we hear.

How about the Mumbaikar stepping down? There are lessons to be learnt from how Ravichandran Ashwin quit. Say bye when you are not needed. The larger-than-life image of Rohit has been blown to smithereens. The same man who won India the World Cup is now a liability. His time is over. Pack up, Rohit Sharma.