“Bumrah's captaincy was far superior” - Former Australian batter questions Rohit Sharma’s leadership in 2nd BGT 2024-25 Test
Former Australia batter Simon Katich has questioned India captain Rohit Sharma for his bowling changes in the second Test. The reaction came after India lost the game in Adelaide by 10 wickets.
Katich reckoned that Rohit failed to rotate his bowlers wisely in the pink-ball Test despite fielding in the slips. The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah led the tourists much better in the first Test in Perth, where they won by 295 runs.
Rohit has now lost four games on the trot as skipper. He previously lost the home Test series to New Zealand by a 0-3 margin. With four consecutive losses, Rohit has joined MAK Pataudi, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar on the unwanted list of Indian skippers.
Simon Katich told 'Around the wicket' podcast (via India Today):
"When you compare the two results, obviously, in Perth, Rohit Sharma missed out. And I thought Bumrah's captaincy, and particularly, the use of his bowlers in the length that they bowled, was far superior to what we saw in Adelaide. In Perth late on Day 1 when Australia were 7/67, India attacked the stumps and bowled much fuller and straighter lengths."
"Whereas, when you look at the pitch map for Adelaide, on the night of Day 1, they were a lot shorter and wider, and around the 7-8 meter mark. So they missed a trick. Rohit Sharma was at first slip; he saw it all unfold. He needs to be a bit more proactive with his quicks when that's happening. Because Australia got out of jail in that session only being one down and as a result, went on to win the Test," he added
"He won the T20 World Cup" - Kapil Dev slams Rohit Sharma's critics
Former captain Kapil Dev has slammed Rohit Sharma's critics following India's loss in the second Test in Australia. He told PTI (via News 18):
"With one or two performances, if you doubt someone’s captaincy, I mean, just six months back when he won the T20 World Cup, you wouldn’t have asked me this question. Let it go, knowing his ability and talent, he will come back. They will come back strongly."
The 1983 World Cup-winning skipper also backed Rohit amid his lean patch with the bat. He said:
"He doesn’t have to prove himself. He has done this for many, many years, so let’s not doubt somebody. I won’t doubt him. I hope his form comes back, that’s important."
Rohit Sharma departed for 3 and 6 in the second Test while playing at No. 6. The 37-year-old has 142 runs in last six Tests at an average of 11.83, including one half-century.