Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh discussed India captain Rohit Sharma’s recent form, stating that the skipper needs to score runs to enhance his performance and decision-making.
Speaking on his thoughts about Rohit’s leadership, Harbhajan emphasized that runs will help the captain think and perform better, ultimately benefiting his captaincy. “As a captain, I would like Rohit Sharma to make runs. When he scores runs, he will think better and do better things. No matter how big a player is, he is always worried about his performance. There is no doubt that when a player scores runs, he makes a better decision. So, let’s hope that Rohit Sharma scores some runs so that his captaincy gets better,” Harbhajan said.
Rohit’s Struggles in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Rohit Sharma’s form has been a topic of concern, especially after his underwhelming performance in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Adelaide, where he managed just nine runs across two innings. The captain’s decision to bat under gloomy skies in the first Test against New Zealand, which resulted in India’s lowest-ever home total of 46, also sparked significant debate about his leadership.
India won the toss and chose to bat first, but were quickly overwhelmed by a moving, unpredictable pink ball and Mitchell Starc’s excellent bowling (6/48). Apart from a 69-run partnership between KL Rahul (37) and Shubman Gill (31), and a fighting 42 from Nitish Kumar Reddy, India was bowled out for just 180 runs. Cummins and Boland supported Starc with two wickets each.
In their first innings, Australia built a strong foundation with a 67-run stand between Nathan McSweeney (39) and Marnus Labuschagne (64). Travis Head then dominated the Indian bowlers with a counter-attacking 140 off 141 balls, guiding Australia to 337 runs and a 157-run lead.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj (4/98) were the standout bowlers, while Ravichandran and Nitish each took a wicket.
India’s Struggles in the Second Innings
In their second innings, India’s top and middle order faltered, despite decent starts from Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) and Shubman Gill (28). However, KL Rahul (7) and Virat Kohli (11) failed to make significant contributions. By the end of day two, India were 128/5.
On the third day, Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 28, and India were ultimately bowled out for 175 runs in just 36.5 overs, setting Australia a target of just 19 runs.
Australia’s Dominant Win
Australia, led by Pat Cummins’ brilliant 5/67, were never challenged as they wrapped up India’s innings. Boland (3/51) and Starc (2/60) also contributed significantly. The Australians reached their target of 19 runs effortlessly, with Usman Khawaja (10*) and McSweeney (9*) chasing it down in just 3.2 overs.
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