[Watch] "12 saal main ek bar to allowed hai yaar" - Rohit Sharma on India's first home Test series loss since 2012-13
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma's comments following the side's Test series defeat to New Zealand have garnered a lot of attention. The Men in Blue captain suggested that one home Test series defeat in 12 years is 'allowed'.
India's home juggernaut came to a screeching halt with their 113-run defeat in the Pune Test on Saturday, October 26. With the victory, New Zealand clinched their maiden Test series victory on Indian soil by claiming an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match rubber.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Sharma opined that India's batting collapses have happened very recently. He pointed out that the side have performed admirably with the bat at home over the years, even on challenging pitches.
Rohit Sharma said:
"It's been two games where there have been some collapses. We have won a lot of matches in India, are you thinking about it that batters have scored runs on bad pitches and won matches? This is the first time that there have been collapses and we haven't been able to bat well.
"Toh, 12 saal mein ek baar to allowed hai yaar (So, it is allowed for one time in 12 years). If these collapses had been there for 12 years, we wouldn't have won. We have a lot of expectations in India that we have to win every match. We have created that habit, it's not your fault."
It is worth mentioning that India were bundled out for a paltry score of 46 in the Test series opener against New Zealand in Bengaluru as they registered their lowest-ever Test total at home. They redeemed themselves by posting 462 in the subsequent essay, albeit in a losing cause.
Their batting let them down in the recently concluded Pune Test as well. India were bowled out for 156 in their first innings and were then all-out for 245 in the final innings while chasing a mammoth 359-run target.
"You need to have a quiet chat with certain individuals" - Rohit Sharma on India's dismal show
In the post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma emphasized that India don't need to overreact following their Test series loss to New Zealand. He, however, stated that the team management will have chats with certain players to make them understand what is expected from them.
Sharma said (via Hindustan Times):
"You don't need to overreact. But you need to have a quiet chat with certain individuals and let them know where they are at and what, as a team, we require from them. I don't think you need to make them sit in a team room on a one-on-one basis and go through their innings and tell them this is what you should be doing. I don't think this is the right forum to do that."
To qualify for the final of the ongoing World Test Championship (2023-25) cycle without depending on the results of other teams, the Rohit Sharma-led side will have to win four out of their remaining six fixtures.