10 Cricketers who lost the most ‘Aura’ in 2025

In 2025, the landscape of international cricket shifted dramatically. Legends like Rohit Sharma and Kane Williamson, who once seemed untouchable, found themselves under immense scrutiny and lost the ‘Aura’ they once had.

From failed tactical shifts to the loss of home invincibility, here are the top 10 cricketers retired or active who lost the most aura in 2025.

10. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)

Rashid Khan’s aura of invincibility was shattered during a disastrous IPL 2025, where he registered an embarrassing average of 57.11 and an economy of 9.35. For the first time in his career, he looked like a liability, conceding a record 33 sixes and suffering through a 28-match stretch in T20s without a three-wicket haul.

Lingering effects from back surgery were blamed for a lack of “zip,” particularly in a taxing January Test against Zimbabwe, where he failed to provide his usual breakthroughs.

While he improved by taking 12 wickets in The Hundred and dominating a tri-series against Pakistan, his mid-year slump proved that even the world’s best spinner is human when the physical toll of the franchise circuit catches up

9.  Mohsin Naqvi (President of the Asian Cricket Council)

Even though he is not a cricketer himself, the PCB Chairman/ ACC President lost significant aura in 2025 following a chaotic administrative performance surrounding the Asia Cup. After failing to convince India to travel to Pakistan, he moved the tournament to the UAE, where his leadership culminated in the “Trophy Fiasco.”

After India won the final, Naqvi reportedly walked away with the silverware and medals after the Indian team refused to accept them from him, a move slammed by legends like Shahid Afridi as damaging to Pakistan’s global credibility.

8. Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

For years, Williamson was the “Zen Master” of Test cricket. In 2025, chronic fitness issues and a lack of game time finally caught up to him. His aura as the man who could bat for three days was diluted by frequent absences and an uncharacteristic struggle to find rhythm upon return. By mid-2025, the focus shifted from his brilliance to his availability.

7. Shubman Gill (India)

Often called the ‘Prince’, Shumban Gill’s Test aura peaked during the 2025 England tour, where he amassed 754 runs and four centuries as captain. However, his T20I status plummeted after failing to record a single fifty in 14 innings, averaging a meagre 23.00. While he led India to a Champions Trophy title with a century against Bangladesh, his ODI form dipped afterwards, averaging just 14.33 during the Australia series. At home, his Test aura took a hit as he averaged only 19.00 against New Zealand and South Africa, leading to questions about his consistency across all formats.

6. Rohit Sharma (India)

The “Hitman” aura was built on fearless leadership and explosive starts. However, 2025 saw the end of Rohit Sharma’s test career following a string of low scores and a captaincy stint that oversaw the crumbling of India’s home fortress and even saw him being dropped in Australia. Walking away after losing his first-ever home Test series as captain was a quiet end for a man who once seemed to have the “Midas Touch.”

5. Nicholas Pooran (West Indies)

Pooran’s aura took a hit not because of form, but because he decided to walk away. By retiring from all international cricket in his prime to join the T20 freelance circuit, Pooran lost the aura of a national hero. He is now seen as a “specialist for hire” rather than the standard-bearer for West Indies’ revival, a shift that has disappointed millions of Caribbean fans.

Hope that Quinton de-Kock’s reversal inspires players like him.

4. Ben Stokes (England)

In 2025, Ben Stokes’ aura as the ultimate competitor vanished as physical decline met tactical failure.

Despite a historic 5-23 in the Perth Ashes opener, his brilliance with the ball couldn’t mask a significant batting slump, with his season average dipping toward 24.00. Down 0-2 in the Ashes and struggling with a torn shoulder muscle that sidelined him during the India series, the once-unstoppable match-winner became a vulnerable leader. His legendary status was replaced by the realization that Bazball has a ceiling, as the magic of his impossible moments is running out quickly.

3. Babar Azam (Pakistan)

In 2025, Babar Azam’s aura as a modern great was dismantled as he was officially dropped from Pakistan’s T20I squad due to a declining strike rate that fell to 122.91.

His performance in the Champions Trophy on home soil was a disaster, failing to record a single fifty and managing a sluggish 64 off 90 balls in a critical loss to New Zealand. This failure was compounded by a chronic century drought that extended to 80 international innings, seeing his Test average plummet toward 30.00. Opponents exploited his newfound vulnerability against spin, which saw his scoring rate against slow bowling drop to a career-low of 77.7 in ODIs.

Even a move to the Big Bash League failed to spark a revival, as he recorded a five-ball failure on his Sydney Sixers debut. By the end of the year, the king was no longer viewed as a match-winner but as a tactical liability searching for a lost identity.

2. Brendon McCullum (England Head Coach)

The architect of “Bazball” saw his revolutionary philosophy come under fire in 2025. With England down 2-0 in the Ashes, McCullum’s aura as a tactical genius has been replaced by accusations of arrogance.

His bizarre post-match comments after the Gabba defeat, in which he claimed that England were “over-prepared,” were slammed by legends like Michael Atherton as “tone-deaf.” The system that was supposed to “save Test cricket” now looks like a “glass jaw” against a clinical Australian side.

Baz went from ‘saving test cricket’ to being the poster boy of failure and arrogance.

1. Gautam Gambhir (India Head Coach)

No one lost more aura in 2025 than Gautam Gambhir. Entering the role as a World Cup-winning “alpha” leader, Gambhir’s tenure has been a statistical nightmare.

In 2025, Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach oversaw a historic collapse of India’s home fortress with a 0 to 3 whitewash against New Zealand. This was followed by a 0 to 2 home series surrender to South Africa, marking the first time in history an Indian coach lost multiple home Test series in one year. Under his leadership, India also lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in a decade after a 1- 3 away defeat. In white-ball cricket, he presided over a 0 to 2 loss in Sri Lanka, handing India their first bilateral ODI series defeat to the island nation in 27 years. These results transitioned Gambhir’s reputation from a legendary winner to the coach responsible for surrendering a decade of global dominance

Statistically labelled “India’s worst red-ball coach of the modern era,” Gambhir’s aura of a gritty, winning strategist has been completely dismantled. From being the hero of 2007 and 2011 to a coach overseeing “chaos and muddled planning,” Gambhir’s transition has been the most dramatic fall from grace in 2025.

And to top it off, he still finds the time to chirp about himself to the media.

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