Former cricketer Madan Lal says he is apprehensive over Rohit Sharma’s dipping form as a player affecting his captaincy as well following India’s humiliating 10-wicket loss to Australia in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit’s return to the Indian team did not yield much desired success as pink ball tormented the visiting batsmen once again in the Adelaide Oval. This loss was the fourth successive one for Rohit as captain of the Test side.
After his impressive performances that led India to victory against England earlier this year, Rohit has struggled to find his rhythm at the crease. A lackluster series against Bangladesh and underwhelming scores against New Zealand have further compounded his difficulties in accumulating runs.
In the latest game in Australia, Rohit could score only nine runs in both innings after batting at number six to accommodate Rahul, who looked in better touch in the first Test in Perth.
“Questions will be raised on his form. He has had a lot of failures. He is a top-class player, but you have to score runs,” Madan Lal told ANI on Rohit’s recent struggles.
Madan Lal made it very clear that Rohit, though a world-class player, needs to deliver with the bat to shut his critics, whichever position he bats. “Sometimes, when your form is not good, it reflects on your captaincy. The form is one match away, but he has to score runs. No matter what position he plays, his runs are critical because he is a world-class player. You can only stop the criticism by scoring runs,” he added.
In India’s historic 3-0 home series sweep against New Zealand, Rohit had managed just 91 runs in three Tests, averaging a mere 15.17. He did not fare any better in the series against Bangladesh, managing only 42 runs in two Tests, with an average of 10.50.
With India desperately seeking their star opener to rediscover his form, all eyes will be on Rohit as he looks to make a significant impact in the upcoming third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
