The walk to the pavilion can be lonely and few have experienced it in a more dreadful manner than Rohit Sharma after his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins removed him with a spiteful delivery at the Adelaide Oval late on Saturday evening.

Rohit was forced into a defensive shot and seemed to have the line covered. But it slanted in and straightened very late to slide past the bat and kiss the top of the
off stump.

A harrowing 15-ball experience for the India captain, who had even survived off a no-ball after the umpire adjudged him leg before. At 37, he clearly seemed to be battling to overcome issues of technique and self-belief.

Dropping to No.6 for someone who has opened all along since 2019 isn’t easy with scores of 3 and 6 serving as ample evidence. Sunil Gavaskar has already suggested that he should be back to his usual position with KL Rahul moving down the order.

Rohit must quickly return to his elements in Brisbane. Being the role model, he
has to set the tone to dismiss Adelaide’s misgivings as a bad dream.

The Indians had breached the ‘Gabba fortress’ in their last series. As they get back to red-ball cricket, any further slip-up could be disastrous in their effort to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rohit will have to shoulder the responsibility to restore the positive vibes in the dressing room. Without being ultra-aggressive, Rohit can be assertive on the field, one who is ready to face challenges without inhibitions.

Sourav Ganguly had made a similar statement at the start of the 2003-04 series with a courageous 144 on a fast and furious Brisbane wicket. India’s record Down Under had been dismal prior to that series — they had lost seven out of eight Tests since 1992.

It wasn’t that Sourav’s place was in doubt. He had smashed an unbeaten 100 in his previous Test against New Zealand in Ahmedabad but India had to prove they had it in them to nail Steve Waugh’s men in their own den.

Sourav didn’t have to just reverse the trend, he also had to improve his own batting record against the Aussies: an average of 29 in 17 previous innings. That knock inspired a turn around.

That was the defining innings that restored belief among the players. Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane played a similar knock at the MCG in 2020 following the 36 all out in the pink ball Test under Virat Kohli.

Rahane’s priceless 104 not out rescued the team from adversity, an innings that showed his character. It shaped the outcome of the Test and the series as he showed the guts to stand up to a volatile Aussie attack.

Rohit too could dare us to dream. He has it in him to fight fire with ice and his composure in adversity could help make the right calls. Another impactful innings could potentially shape the match and the series after the Adelaide capitulation.