"He's A Mumbai Batter...": Ex-India Star Backs Rohit Sharma Amid Poor Show

Jatin Paranjape, a former Indian cricketer and national selector, believes despite Rohit Sharma being far from his best in the 10-wicket loss to Australia in Adelaide, he is still confident of the Indian skipper performing better in the remaining three matches of the series. In his return to the number six position in Test cricket after a six-year absence, Rohit could only muster nine runs at Adelaide Oval over the two innings. A continued poor run in Adelaide means Rohit's average in his last six Tests is only 11.83.

Rohit also faced criticism as captain for not using his bowlers effectively and setting proactive fields. Travis Head's 140-run knock, headlined by his aggressive square-of-the-wicket scoring, exemplifies this; India's response was to offer open fields and only bowl four bouncers, despite his known vulnerability to them.

"I know he's had a really bad run in the last few Test innings. But I think form is temporary, and class is permanent. I have a very, very good feeling about Rohit Sharma coming good, as let's not forget that he's a Mumbai batter.

"They are known to kind of win against you when things are hard. I thought he was a bit off-colour in this Test match at Adelaide, but I'm sure that he will bounce back There's nothing wrong in his batting, but he just needs to get an hour or two under his belt on the field," said Paranjape to IANS in an exclusive conversation.

He also thinks Rohit should return to being an opener in the third Test in Brisbane, starting on December 14. "Being back in the opener's slot is something which is a comfort area for him. So I expect him to come back into the top slot to open with Jaiswal and have KL Rahul batting at five. I also thought he was a bit off with his captaincy