Ravi Shastri raised questions on Rohit Sharma’s batting and captaincy, said – “Rohit should return as an opener”: Ravi Shastri, a former Indian cricket player and head coach, has questioned Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s batting position and leadership during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
After India’s 10-wicket defeat in the second Test in Adelaide, Shastri expressed concern over Rohit’s “calm body language” and poor performance (3 and 6 runs).
He suggested that Rohit should play back in the opening slot in the third Test, where he is usually more effective and aggressive.
Rohit’s move to the middle order and Rahul’s influence In the first Test, in the absence of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul played a brilliant innings of 77 runs as an opener.
A record partnership of 201 runs between Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal strengthened the team. Rohit decided to bat at number six in the second Test to maintain Rahul’s opening form.
However, Shastri believes that Rahul can be shifted to the middle order and Rohit should return to his natural role.
Shastri said, “I want to see Rohit at the top. That is where he is aggressive and expressive. His body language was a bit quiet and he could not score runs. His captaincy also did not show that energy. I think, when you are the captain of the team, you should be more animated and inspiring.”
Questions on captaincy too Shastri also questioned Rohit’s captaincy, especially for not using Ashwin at the right time and not giving Jasprit Bumrah the ball at crucial moments. He said that India should learn from Australian captain Pat Cummins, who maintained a positive mindset after the defeat in Perth.
“Pat Cummins said in Perth that we were not as bad as the scoreboard was showing. This is a good perspective because it focuses on the real potential of the team instead of focusing on external criticism. India also needs to adopt such an attitude,” Shastri said.
Final message Shastri advised the team to “counter-punch” in the next Test and said that the Indian and Australian teams usually make a strong comeback after defeat. He hoped that the team would maintain confidence and come back in the series.
World Test Championship Points Table
After India’s 10-wicket defeat in the second Test in Adelaide, the Indian team’s points percentage decreased and it slipped from the first position to third place. If India has to regain the first position, then some changes are desperately needed in the sports policy and players.
The team that earned the first place on the WTC points table, South Africa, led by Temba Bavuma, defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 in the series at home and this series win has given them a big boost to their hopes of qualifying for the final of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
| Pos | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | NR | Points | PCT |
| 1 | South Africa | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 63.330 |
| 2 | Australia | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 102 | 60.710 |
| 3 | India | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 110 | 57.290 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 45.450 |
| 5 | England | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 114 | 45.240 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 44.230 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 33.330 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 31.250 |
| 9 | West Indies | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 24.240 |
Also Read: IND vs AUS: Which Indian bowler has picked the most wickets in pink-ball tests?
