"Intent is getting him into a safe space where he feels when in trouble, use that"- Dinesh Karthik questions Rohit Sharma's batting approach in Tests
Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik questioned skipper Rohit Sharma's reliance on attacking batting in Tests after his latest dismissal in the Mumbai Test against New Zealand. Chasing only 147 for victory, Rohit went after the bowling from the get-go.
While he smashed two boundaries, the rash batting saw him getting dismissed with an ungainly pull for a run-a-ball 11. Despite Rohit preaching 'batting with intent' in all formats over the past couple of years, his Test form has significantly dwindled.
The 37-year-old has scored only the lone half-century in his last ten Test innings, all at home, and has batted with an average of 13.30. Rohit's dismissal sparked a horrific collapse as India were shot out for 121 to suffer an embarrassing 0-3 series whitewash.
Speaking on Cricbuzz post-game, Karthik went deep into Rohit's batting approach by saying:
"In Test cricket, what I feel is that intent is getting him into a safe space where he feels when in trouble, use that. It's not a method where he's using it like he's using it in white ball cricket, one that Indian team needed. Here, a lot of times, when he is beaten a couple of times, when he is put under a little bit of pressure, an immediate instinct is to play an attacking shot fraught with risk. Now, with that comes the ability to get out as well."
He added:
"I think his safe space right now, in Rohit Sharma's case, is to attack. Then in that, he feels he is a lot more comfortable doing because he's seen that success. But when it doesn't go right, it always will give the image that it has given so far."
Apart from his dismal batting, Rohit also became the first Indian captain to suffer a whitewash in a home Test series of three matches or more. The New Zealand loss was also India's first home series setback since the England series in 2012/13 under MS Dhoni.
"Because you are worried you might get out defending or playing a soft shot, you are trying to attack" - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik called on Rohit Sharma to trust his defensive technique more, pointing to the 2021 England tour as an example.
Despite playing on challenging seamer-friendly pitches, the veteran opener amassed 368 runs at an average of 52.57. Furthermore, Rohit faced an incredible 866 deliveries in that series and scored at a strike rate of 42.49.
"So, the one thing that Rohit Sharma is not doing, which he did very well when he took up his role as an opener, is trust his technique. Yes, attack is an option. But that will only come better if you trust your technique. Because you are worried you might get out defending or playing a soft shot, you are trying to attack. Then, that is fraught with risk. Because if it doesn't come off, it looks silly," said Karthik.
"He went to England. He left a lot of balls. He decided that I can play shots. But what I am going to do is, anything outside the off-stump, I am going to let it go. I am going to have the mental strength to bat long. He got a 100. He got a 90. So, I think that's where he needs to go back to. To trust his ability to defend and see through tough phases," added Karthik.
Rohit Sharma and his side will now travel to Australia for a daunting five-Test series down under, starting in Perth on November 22.