Rohit Sharma had a forgettable return as India captain and batter in the second Test at Adelaide, which former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and batter Cheteshwar Pujara see as a worry for the visitors going ahead in the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy.
India lost the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval by 10 wickets inside three days, which allowed Australia to level the series at 1-1, after India had won the first Test by 295 runs.
“When such a big player doesn’t score runs, it will become a slight cause for concern,” said Harbajan while talking on Star Sports.
Rohit Sharma’s struggle continues
Rohit, who missed the first Test in Perth while on paternity leave following the birth of his second child, scored just 3 and 6 in the two innings at Adelaide, where he batted in the middle order. The skipper took the decision to not open because KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal had performed well at the top of the order in Perth, which included a 201-run partnership in the second innings.
Coming into the BGT, Rohit had a forgettable series at home against New Zealand. He scored just 91 runs in his six innings in the three Tests against the Kiwis. India lost the series 0-3.
“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 runs are not scored, the pressure comes on (Rohit) 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. We hope that he comes back to form,” Harbhajan added.
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Also part of the discussion was Pujara, who played a key role during India’s last two tours of Australia, where the team registered historic series wins.
“He (Rohit) got out lbw in the first innings and opened up his stance in the second innings, so he got bowled there. He will have to work a little more on that line because, from the same spot, he is getting lbw to the ball that is coming in and bowled to the ball that is going away,” Puajara analysed.
“There is a slight concern. As an Indian fan, I want Rohit to regain his form as quickly as possible. As Bhajju pa (Harbhajan) said, the captain’s batting is very important because it affects his captaincy as well. I am slightly concerned with the way Rohit is getting out,” he added.
