Poor form affecting Rohit's captaincy, say former India teammates
NEW DELHI : India skipper Rohit Sharma's woeful batting form is affecting his captaincy in Australia, according to former teammates Harbhajan Singh and Cheteshwar Pujara.
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NEW DELHI : India skipper Rohit Sharma's woeful batting form is affecting his captaincy in Australia, according to former teammates Harbhajan Singh and Cheteshwar Pujara.
With the Indian team in desperate need of bowling reinforcements in Australia, the wait for veteran pacer Mohammed Shami to join the team continues. It looked like Shami could be ready to feature in the final two Tests of the series but his fitness concerns have prevented the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from flying him Down Under anytime soon. India captain Rohit Sharma was asked about Shami's status after the conclusion of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Rohit kept the door open for Shami but refused to give any timeline.
Team India's 10-wicket loss in the pink-ball Test against Australia at Adelaide has prompted calls for changes in the team. Rookie pacer Harshit Rana went wicket-less in Adelaide, with his selection putting head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma in the line of fire. Some even allege that Harshit's selection in the XI was down to his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) connection with Harshit. When former India captain Kapil Dev was asked about the controversy regarding selection matter, he gave a rather intriguing response.
India's defeat in the pink-ball Test against Australia hasn't sent shockwaves across the cricketing spectrum, but certain changes have been prescribed to Rohit Sharma and his team. India made three changes in the playing XI for the day-night Test, with Shubman Gill, Ravichandran Ashwin and the skipper coming in. Rohit, however, batted at the No. 6 spot, allowing KL Rahul to continue at the top after his prolific show in the Perth Test. However, Indian cricket great Sunil Gavaskar has urged Rohit to change that in the third Test.
Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and skipper Rohit Sharma were among the players to hit the nets in Brisbane ahead of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, starting December 14. In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on X, youngsters Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar and Rishabh Pant were also seen honing their batting skills against Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Akash Deep, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja at the nets. As the focus gets back to the red ball, the visitors will look to forget the misery of Adelaide as they faced a massive 10-wicket defeat in the pink-ball Test.
He is being encouraged to return to opening by the talking heads of Indian cricket but Rohit Sharma may just avoid being swayed by the proverbial outside noise and stick to the number six slot for at least the third Test against Australia in Brisbane starting this weekend. Rohit, who was on paternity break during the opening Test and scored 3 and 6 on his return during the 'Pink Ball' game, is facing calls for his return to the top in the batting order in place of KL Rahul, who too had an indifferent game in Adelaide after his heroics in Perth. If one looks at Rohit's statistics in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia), across all batting positions in 46 completed innings, he averages a shade less than 30 while in 20 innings as opener, he scores at 37.8 thanks largely to the successful English summer of 2021.
Tickets for the opening day of the fourth Test of the between India and Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground have sold out, highlighting the public's strong interest in the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The strong demand for tickets comes a couple of days after hosts Australia made a stunning comeback, handing India a 10-wicket defeat in Adelaide to level the five-match series 1-1. The two rivals will head to the MCG for the Boxing Day Test, starting December 26 after the third Test in Brisbane starting Saturday.
The pink-ball Test between India and Australia could be over but the players are still toiling hard in the nets at Adelaide. After the day-night Test ended in just 2 days and one session, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, etc. decided to put the hard yards in the nets at Adelaide, before they fly to Brisbane for the third Test of the series. Ahead of the Gabba clash, Rohit Sharma's batting position has been one of the biggest talking points among experts. However, it doesn't look like the India captain is willing to change anything.