“It could affect his captaincy” – Harbhajan Singh on Rohit Sharma’s bad form

by Tejas Rathi
Harbhajan Singh thinks Rohit Sharma's bad form can take a toll on his captaincy in the BGT 2024-25 against Australia.

Former spinner Harbhajan Singh feels it’s critical for Indian captain Rohit Sharma to get back to form in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. He feels Rohit’s lean patch could have a ripple effect on his captaincy and India’s performance in the test series.

In 2024, ‘Hitman’ has scored only 597 runs in 12 tests at an average of 27.14, with two centuries. Although his bad form didn’t affect much in the England and Bangladesh series, it proved to be detrimental against New Zealand.

Rohit could garner only 91 runs in six innings as the Black Caps secured a 3-0 whitewash. The pressure further piled on him ahead of the recently concluded Adelaide test. Batting at No. 6, he returned with scores of 3 & 6 and failed to put the team back on track after early dismissals. The Australian side secured a 10-wicket victory and leveled the series 1-1.

In an interaction on Star Sports, Harbhajan opined that the lack of runs under Rohit Sharma’s belt is a cause of concern in the middle of the series for India.

“When such a big player doesn’t score runs, it will become a slight cause for concern. We know that Rohit has great ability and has scored a lot of runs for India. However, he didn’t score runs in this match and the previous series as well. When the runs are not scored, the pressure comes on the batter. We don’t want the Indian captain to have the pressure of scoring his own runs, as it could affect his captaincy as well.”

However, Harbhajan Singh feels the Gabba surface might suit Rohit better and hopes that the veteran batter rescues the team from precarious situation.

“We hope that he comes back to form. The conditions at other venues like Brisbane might suit him more. He needs to leave this match behind and think about what better can be done going forward and how the team can play better because the team is more important than his form,” Harbhajan added.

Ravi Shastri wants Rohit Sharma to be more aggressive

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri was also concerned with Rohit Sharma’s batting form and defensive captaincy. He feels Rohit needs to come back at his familiar position as an opener to return to form, and also employ an aggressive intent in his captaincy.

Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma

“That’s the reason I want him at the top. That’s where he can be aggressive and expressive. Just thought he was a little too subdued, just seeing his body language. The fact that he didn’t make runs, I don’t think there was enough on the field there. I just wanted to see him more involved, and a little more animated,” Ravi Shastri told the broadcasters.

Nevertheless, Shastri was confident about India’s ability to bounce back after facing a setback owing to their impressive form in the longest format.

“You still have to believe that you can bounce back in this series. You have seen with these two teams, that the counter-punch is almost immediate. It’s happened over the last 10 years. You lose one, you win the next, but you have to have the belief,” he added.

The Indian team will lock horns with Australia in the third test in Brisbane from December 16-20.

FAQs

When did Rohit Sharma score his last test ton?

March 2024 against England

What is Rohit Sharma’s average in tests?

41.54

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