Will Rohit Sharma play his last Test in Sydney? Is he being crippled by technical shortcomings and a mental block in red-ball cricket?
Opening the innings for the first time in the series, the India captain contributed 3 off five balls at the MCG on Friday. Rohit’s batting average in Tests in the 2024-25 season has now plummetted to 11.07 and he has 22 runs in four innings in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
His form hasn’t been inspirational and his captaincy tentative with his cool demeanour often giving way to a fit of anger on the field. He was in two minds against Pat Cummins’ short delivery before playing a half-hearted pull and spooning it to mid-wicket on the second day.
It showed a batter who is undecided in his course of action. His decision to promote himself up the order at the cost of the settled opening combination of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul was a poor call and it has proved to be disastrous.
If India lose this Test, Rohit will have to cop much of the blame for illogical selections.
Rohit failed to turn it around, but Virat Kohli showed exemplary tactical awareness until a moment of brain fade resulted in Jasiwal’s run out, cutting short a fledging partnership which rescued India from 51/2.
Kohli had shown admirable discipline in not flirting with anything in the corridor during his patient 36, but seven balls after Jaiswal’s departure, he chose to dabble in danger. That dismissal had clearly impacted his concentration and he nicked Scott Boland’s delivery which pitched wide outside off.
In a widely shared video on social media, he was seen being booed while walking back through the tunnel. Kohli turned back and tried to spot the offender but was escorted back by security personnel.
There has been a furore over Kohli’s behaviour on the opening day of the Test after he shoulder-bumped teen sensation Sam Konstas.
Kohli has been in the spotlight since arriving in Melbourne having had an altercation with a TV journalist at the airport. While a big knock would have silenced all the noise, he will have to now live with it till his next innings.
He now seems to be the most hated Indian amongthe Australian crowd and only a significant knock can restore their respect for him,however grudgingly.