A record-breaking batsman and commended captain in coloured clothes, Rohit Sharma threatens to finish as one of Test cricket's great unfulfilled talents.
David Warner is prolific proof of somebody who successfully made the transition from white-ball slugger to red-ball star, while Aaron Finch is trying to make the same leap.
Sharma, who attended the under-19 World Cup in 2006 alongside Warner, is perhaps the best example of how hard the transformation can be.
The 31-year-old holds the record for the highest ODI score, a stunning knock of 264 against Sri Lanka. It's one of his 21 ODI tons and the highest of his seven 150-plus scores in the format.
Sharma led India's one-day side in the absence of Virat Kohli just two-and-a-half months ago, when Sunil Gavaskar likened his captaincy to that of legendary West Indies leader Clive Lloyd.
Ricky Ponting also rates Sharma's leadership. Coach Ponting and captain Sharma took Mumbai to their second Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2015.
But the red ball has proven kryptonite for the batsman ranked second on the International Cricket Council's ODI batting charts, as was the case on day one of the four-Test series.
Sharma was a controversial selection at Adelaide Oval ahead of Hanuma Vihari, earning his first recall since January and extending a stop-start Test career that started in 2013.
The 31-year-old looked perhaps more comfortable than any of his teammates during India's terrible start to the game, only to throw his wicket away with the most-unforgivable shot of the day.
Sharma flirted with disaster when he slog swept Nathan Lyon for six after lunch, with Marcus Harris unsuccessfully attempting to parry the ball back into play.
Sharma was out attempting the same stroke off the next delivery, dropped shorter and bowled slower by Lyon.
The "soft" dismissal for 37 is exactly why Sharma's Test career is in the balance, according to former Test opener Simon Katich.
"It was premeditated. It wasn't really there to be played," Katich said on SEN radio.
"He's just got away with it the ball before ... there's no doubt he has the talent but that is an absolute brain fade."
Sharma, like Glenn Maxwell and many Australians, can point to a cramped schedule as not helping his cause when it comes to Test cricket.
The veteran hadn't played a single first-class fixture since his previous Test.
