Rohit Sharma seems to have nothing left in the tank. “Tough times for him,” the legendary Sunil Gavaskar said while on air with broadcasters ‘7Cricket’. “There will be a second innings and two more in Sydney. Questions will be asked if he doesn’t score in those three innings,” Gavaskar said on air as he saw it. After yet another cheap dismissal off a Pat Cummins’ short ball, questions are mounting on when the 38-year-old Indian captain will finally call time on his Test career.
But will Rohit allow all these questions to fester? The national selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar is in Melbourne and it won’t surprise anyone if it comes out that the two former teammates have had some discussions on the future as India copes with a tough transition.
Only 155 runs in eight Tests at an average of 11.07 in 14 innings is very poor by all standards and not scoring runs after tinkering a set opening combination hasn’t done him any good.
The common belief is that if India do not qualify for the World Test Championship, then Sydney will be the final destination of his cricketing journey in whites.
But will the skipper be more pragmatic and for the sake of the team, drop himself from the playing eleven for the Sydney Test allowing an in-form KL Rahul to continue with a rampaging Yashasvi Jaiswal? Current national head coach Gautam Gambhir, during his playing time in the IPL, once dropped himself from after a horrendous first phase, knowing that his days as a T20 opener were behind him.
There is a growing feeling that Indian cricket consider using a similar tactic for senior players.
If Ravichandran Ashwin could be nudged into retirement and clearly communicated that he is not even among the top two spinners in overseas conditions, then shouldn’t the Indian skipper be told that he is perhaps no longer an automatic choice in the Test top six? But there is an ODI Champions Trophy to be played in another seven weeks and the skipper is still a force to reckon with in that format.
Although current form is a huge factor and it does affect confidence, he might just come good in the ODIs if the Test responsibility is off his shoulders.
Rohit was never comfortable with the idea of batting in the middle-order and he realised after three innings that it has not worked. As a result, Shubman Gill was dropped from the playing eleven to allow Rohit to go back to his familiar opening position.
But just like his pull shots aren’t coming off anymore, the strategic moves are failing too.
The biggest difference between Rohit and Virat Kohli, despite both going through a lean patch, is how they are looking at the crease.
Kohli is still a picture of intent and gives the feeling that there could be a big knock around the corner and in fact, a hundred did come in the Perth Test’s second innings.
On second day at the MCG, he looked solid, trying to leave as many deliveries in the channel but not forgetting to punish the half-volleys.
But Rohit has been a walking wicket, a trifle lost and looking completely out of place.
No one could have put it as concisely as former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, whose technical analysis has always been spot on.
“That’s just a lazy, not switched on, not up for the moment type of shot,” Ponting said while analysing his dismissal on air for 7Cricket.
“He’s been known as one of the best hookers and pullers of the ball since he’s made his debut but that’s just not there. It’s nothing.
“It’s not committed, not really looking to be aggressive, he’s just looking to tap it on the head,” added possibly the best horizontal bat shot-maker of his generation.
In captaincy and batting, it is about making good decisions and the Indian skipper is not being able to do that at this point.
“It (ball) might have held in the wicket yes. It might have seamed away from him a fraction. But if you’re going to survive against this Australian attack, you’ve got to be switched on.
“You’ve got to be making good decisions. If you’re not, they’ll knock you over every time,” Ponting said.
As things stand, the skipper needs to make a quick decision. His team is possibly waiting for it.
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