'Rohit Sharma has had lot of failures...': Harbhajan, Pujara raise 'captaincy' concern; India legend minces no words
Rohit Sharma has scored only 142 runs at an average of 11.83 with one half-century in his last six Test matches since September 2024.
Indian cricket greats, on Sunday, expressed concerns over captain Rohit Sharma's form after a double failure in Adelaide against Australia as the tourists suffered a 10-wicket loss in the second Test match of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. While Madan Lal highlighted Rohit's dwindling numbers in the format, Harbhajan Singh and Cheteshwar Pujara were left worried that it might affect his captaincy.
Rohit expected a grand return to the Indian team, despite assuming middle-order duties for the first time in six years, but faced a hard-hitting reality as he managed scores of just 3 and 6 across both innings in the pink ball Test. This was preceded by a sub-par series against Bangladesh and a mediocre string of scores against New Zealand. In fact, in the last six Test matches since September 2024, he scored only 142 runs at 11.83 with just one half-century.
Speaking to ANI, Madan said that criticisms against Rohit were evident, given his form. "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," he said.
Some veteran cricketers, including Ravi Shastri, cited that the change of batting position might have affected Rohit's scores in Adelaide, but Madan shut the talks saying that irrespective of where he bats, only big scores can put an end to criticisms.
"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 important because he is a world-class player. You can only stop criticising players by scoring runs," he added.
'It could affect Rohit's captaincy'
Harbhajan and Pujara, during a discussion on Star Sports, spoke much on the same lines about Rohit's form but were more concerned that the diminishing returns with the bat might affect his captaincy, which was under scrutiny during the Adelaide Test.
"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," the veteran off-spinner said.
"We won'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. 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.
Pujara, on the other hand, outlined a major worry over how Rohit was dismissed in the two innings in the second Test. He was trapped LBW by Scott Boland in the first innings, and bowled by an absolute jaffa from Pat Cummins in the second.
"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 Sharma is getting out," he said.
"He got out lbw in the first innings, and he 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," Pujara added.
Given the loss in Adelaide and Rohit's form, it will be interesting to see if India, in this short turnaround for the Gabba Test, would consider the 37-year-old back as an opener.
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