"By Their Standards...": Rohit Sharma's Honest Take On R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja's Performances

Skipper Rohit Sharma backed Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's performance following India's defeat in the second Test match against New Zealand and said that there's too much expectation on the two all-rounders. Tom Latham's New Zealand team made history by defeating Rohit's side by 113 runs in the second Test match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday, clinching their first-ever series win in India. This loss marks India's first home Test series defeat since 2012, ending an 18-series winning streak--the longest home winning sequence for any team.

New Zealand now lead the three-match Test series 2-0, with the final game set for November 1 at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Rohit said in every game Ashwin and Jadeja are expected to take wickets. He added that everyone in the team was responsible for the defeat and not just two players.

"There's too much expectation on those two guys. Every game they play, they are expected to take wickets, run through the (opposition) team and win Test matches for us. I don't think that is fair. It's the responsibility of all of us to make sure that we get the Test wins, not just the two guys. Of course, by their standards, they know where they stand and what they haven't been able to do or what they have done really well," Rohit said.

The India skipper added that both Ashwin and Jadeja are allowed to have some bad games.

"I'm not going to look into too much, especially with those two guys. They know exactly what happens and sometimes they are allowed to have some bad games here and there and not go by that expectation that 'okay, this is the opportunity for me to take wickets and run through the