Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma© AFP
Cheteshwar Pujara believes that Rohit Sharma‘s decision to bat in the middle-order has a huge part to play in his disappointing run during the ongoing Test series against Australia. The Indian cricket team captain has been struggling to score runs lately and on Day 4 of the third Test match in Brisbane, he could manage to score just 10 runs before he was dismissed by Pat Cummins. It was the sixth time in 12 innings that Cummins dismissed Rohit. Pujara said that the shot selection from Rohit was very poor and pointed out how the lack of runs has also put extra pressure on the star batter.
“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,” Pujara said during his analysis on Star Sports.
Rohit, who generally opens the innings for India, has been batting at No. 6 with KL Rahul opening the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Pujara said that it is difficult for players to make that shift and added that the change in his batting position can be a reason behind his current struggles.
“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,” he added.
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