Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his disappointment with Rohit Sharma’s captaincy during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Adelaide, which India lost by 10 wickets. Aakash criticized Rohit’s defensive approach and questioned his usage of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the match.
Travis Head once again proved to be India’s biggest challenge, smashing a brilliant 140 off 141 balls in front of his home crowd. His innings helped Australia post a commanding total of 337, giving them a lead of 157 runs. In reply, India managed only 175 in their second innings, leaving Australia with a target of just 19 runs, which the hosts chased down in just 20 balls.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash pointed out that Rohit seemed to lack a clear plan against Head. He also felt that Bumrah, who was effective in his initial four-over spell, was underutilized.
“Why didn’t we bowl short balls to Travis Head? You have to target him with bouncers. Until you do that, he won’t get out and will keep troubling us. He’s done it before, including in the World Cup final and the WTC final,” Aakash said.
“Jasprit Bumrah picked up a wicket in his four-over spell but didn’t bowl again in the same session. That was a clear miss in captaincy. Rohit’s approach looked defensive, and the match was allowed to drift away,” he added.
‘Rohit’s captaincy has been underwhelming’
Aakash also highlighted Rohit’s worrying record as a captain, noting that he has now lost four consecutive Test matches. While MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli also endured similar losing streaks, what makes Rohit’s case concerning is that three of these defeats came at home, something that rarely happens to Indian captains.
“In the past, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi lost six consecutive matches in 1967, and Sachin Tendulkar lost four in 1999. In the modern era, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli had similar four-match losing streaks, but Rohit’s case stands out because three of these losses were at home,” Aakash explained.
He concluded by saying, “Rohit’s leadership has been below par in recent matches. Even though the team won in Perth, he wasn’t the captain for that match. This run of defeats, especially at home, is worrying.
Leave a Reply