"Let's call a spade a spade" - Aakash Chopra criticizes Rohit Sharma's captaincy in BGT 2024-25 2nd Test
Aakash Chopra has criticized Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He opined that the Indian skipper had a defensive approach and didn't use Jasprit Bumrah effectively against Travis Head.
India suffered a 10-wicket defeat in the second Test against Australia in Adelaide on Sunday, December 8. Head was named the Player of the Match for his 141-ball 140 in Australia's first innings, a knock that helped the hosts post 337 and take a match-defining 157-run lead.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener replied in the affirmative when asked whether Rohit's captaincy was clueless as he hardly used Bumrah and the short ball against Head.
"You are absolutely right, my friend. Did we bowl bouncers to Head? You have to bowl bouncers on Head's head. Until we do that. he doesn't get out and keeps troubling us. He has done that earlier and is doing it now also. He did that in the World Cup final and the WTC final as well," he said (7:30).
"Jasprit Bumrah had bowled a four-over spell and had already picked up a wicket in that. So why did he bowl only four overs, and didn't bowl after that at all? He didn't bowl in the entire session. So you are 100 percent right when you say that you missed a trick in captaincy. Rohit's captaincy - let's call a spade a spade. We saw defensive captaincy. He allowed the match to drift," Chopra added.
Chopra noted that Rohit had himself admitted after the 0-3 home series defeat against New Zealand that he wasn't at his best as a captain. He recalled that the Indian skipper refrained from using the seamers against Tim Southee and Rachin Ravindra in the first Test in Bengaluru when they were taking the spinners to the cleaners.
"The captaincy has been a little lackluster" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma
![Rohit Sharma became the first Indian captain to lose all three Tests in a home series. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/4e758-17336698583764-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Rohit Sharma holds one of the most ignominious records for an Indian skipper.
"I have brought another list as well - the most consecutive losses by an Indian captain. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi lost six consecutive matches in 1967. After that, Sachin Tendulkar in 1999, and if you come to the 21st century, MS Dhoni twice lost four consecutive matches, Virat Kohli lost four consecutive matches in 2020-21, and now Rohit Sharma has already lost four consecutive matches," he said (9:10).
"He wasn't the captain in the Perth match. So that win doesn't count for him. If we leave the last century, it's Dhoni, Kohli and Rohit, and the biggest concerning thing, which might not be with anyone else, is three consecutive losses at home. The captaincy has been a little lackluster," Chopra added.
Aakash Chopra concluded by saying that Rohit Sharma needs to be backed as he is India's captain. He added that Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel need to support Rohit, just like the help the Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper used to get from the franchise's support staff while captaining in the Indian Premier League.