"Rohit Sharma needs to be more flexible to get better performances out of his bowlers" - Manoj Tiwary
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary reckons that Rohit Sharma needs to be a lot more flexible as captain and cannot stick to a set template. Tiwary claimed that some of the Indian captain's tactics in the ongoing series against New Zealand have impacted the performances of the bowlers.
Rohit has been in the firing line over his captaincy decisions in the ongoing Test series against New Zealand at home. Apart from his move to bat first in Bengaluru, which saw India getting rolled over for 46, his tactics on the field have been termed as defensive and negative by some cricket experts.
During a discussion on Cricbuzz after the end of the second day's play in Pune, Tiwary also raised questions about Rohit's captaincy. Urging him to be a lot more dynamic as a leader, he commented:
"Rohit Sharma needs to be more flexible to get better performances out of his bowlers. Akash Deep did well in the Test series against Bangladesh. He was dropped in the first Test (against New Zealand) in Bengaluru as India misread the pitch. His confidence might thus have gone down a little. He did not get many overs in the first innings here. He could have been given a couple of overs in the second innings."
Tiwary also opined that the Indian captain's decision of not giving the new ball to Jasprit Bumrah on Day 2 in Pune was a mistake and that the move impacted the bowler's confidence and effectiveness.
"If [Washington] Sundar had opened from one end and Bumrah from the other, it would have been better. It you look at Bumrah's spell today, that zip was quite not there. He didn't seem to be running in that hard. Usually, Bumrah bends his back irrespective of the situation," Tiwary commented.
"Psychologically, such things affect a bowler. And he is also the vice-captain. Rohit needs to analyze what's going wrong and improve as leader in upcoming games," the former India batter concluded.
Bumrah bowled six overs in New Zealand's second innings and registered figures of 0-25. Sundar, who picked up seven wickets in the first innings, starred in the second essay as well, picking up four of the five scalps to fall on Day 2.
Rohit Sharma will be under immense pressure when India bat in the second innings
Not only as a captain, Rohit's performance as a batter in Test cricket is also under the scanner following consistent failures. The 37-year-old scored a hundred in the fifth and final Test against England in Dharamsala in March 2024.
In the two-match series against Bangladesh, he registered scores of 6, 5, 23 and 8. The opener was dismissed for 2 in the first innings against New Zealand in Bengaluru and 52 in the second essay before being dismissed for a duck in the first innings on the ongoing Test in Pune.