Who said what - top 3 expert reactions to Rohit Sharma's failure in 1st innings of BGT 2024-25 3rd Test ft. Cheteshwar Pujara
Indian captain Rohit Sharma had yet another poor outing in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series. In the ongoing third Test at the Gabba, Rohit failed to get going again, getting dismissed cheaply in India's first innings.
Resuming the batting on day four with KL Rahul at the other end, Rohit Sharma lasted only 27 balls as he was sent back for just 10 runs. Australia skipper Pat Cummins accounted for the wicket of his Indian counterpart with a pitched-up delivery on a good length in the channel just outside the off-stump. Rohit edged it to the wicket-keeper.
The Indian skipper missed the opening Test of the series in Perth but returned for the second Test in Adelaide. However, he failed to score big, getting dismissed for 3 and 6 in the two innings respectively.
Rohit moved to No. 6 in the ongoing series to accommodate KL Rahul at the top, but he has failed to get going. While India managed to stage a fightback by the end of the day's play, experts expressed their concerns after the Indian captain's poor performance with the willow at the Gabba.
#3 Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticized Rohit Sharma for his approach. Vaughan stated that Rohit had no answer to the pacer and labelled his approach 'timid.'
“Pat Cummins was right up there and Rohit Sharma had no answer. It was very timid from him. He was expecting a different delivery but got something different," Vaughan said on Star Sports.
#2 Parthiv Patel
Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel also addressed the Indian captain's string of failures after his dismissal at the Gabba. He expressed his concerns over Rohit's form and how it was affecting the team as well.
“Yes, it is difficult (to ignore); there is no doubt about it. When your captain is playing such cricket for a longer time, and runs aren't coming, then the pressure is on the team and the captain. And it is clearly seen on the ground. The pressure is seen in how Rohit bats and the decisions he takes on the field," Parthiv said on Cricbuzz.
Parthiv added that Rohit's footwork was not convincing and a major cause for his poor run with the bat.
“There is uncertainty in his footwork. His front foot is not going forward; he is playing from away, and that’s why he is getting outside edges or missing the edge and getting hit on the stumps. So, there is definitely uncertainty in Rohit’s footwork, and it is seen everywhere, and it is difficult to ignore it. We want Rohit Sharma to perform well both as a captain and as a player, but we are not seeing that now," he explained.
#1 Cheteshwar Pujara
Out of the Indian team and in the expert panel at the moment, Cheteshwar Pujara blamed the change in Rohit Sharma's batting position as the major reason for his failure in this series so far.
“He has been opening the innings, now he's batting at number 6. That is for the team, but I still feel that when you are so much used to opening the innings and when you have to wait, then you put yourself in that doubt. I mean, it doesn't help you when you're opening innings and you suddenly start batting at number 6. So that you don't get that momentum either,” Pujara said on Star Sports.
Talking about the dismissal in particular, Pujara stated that Rohit should have defended the ball instead of going for the drive, which resulted in him edging it behind.
“It wasn't a length where you can drive. We have seen that even a fuller length ball, it's hard to drive. He, kind of tried to punch that ball. He should have defended that ball, allowed the ball to come to him rather than going for that ball. And I think the tough part is he hasn't been, amongst runs, and, that's where the pressure is," he opined.