Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of the Indian National Cricket Team, wants a captain Rohit Sharma Reclaiming the opening spot from KL Rahul ahead of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Ravi Shastri believes Rohit Sharma’s poor form has directly affected his captaincy and his return to the top order will allow him to be more aggressive with the bat.
Rohit Sharma’s horror show in Test cricket continued in the Adelaide Test
The Indian National Cricket Team captain returned to the playing XI in Adelaide after missing the Perth Test due to the birth of his second child.
Rohit did not open the innings and KL allowed Rahul to continue in the first order along with Yashasvi Jaiswal after the duo performed superbly in the second innings of the Test. series Inauguration of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Rohit’s move to the middle order was not fruitful as he failed in both the innings. He looked in all sorts of trouble against the Aussie pacers and recorded scores of 3 and 6 in two innings.
Rohit Sharma’s failure with the bat meant that Team India were bowled out with low scores in both innings and they lost the match by 10 wickets.
Just seeing his body language – Ravi Shastri, I thought he was a bit too submissive
Speaking to broadcasters after the Adelaide Test, Ravi Shastri said that Rohit had tamed his body language in the match and needed to be more involved as captain.
Shastri added that there is a need for Rohit to return to the top and send KL Rahul back into the middle order. He said:
“That’s the reason I want him at the top. He can be aggressive and expressive. I just thought he was a bit too submissive when I saw his body language. The fact that he doesn’t make runs, I think he’s a bit submissive. He’s had enough on the field, I think he’s more I wanted to attract and see a little more alive.
“You still have to believe you can come back in this series. You’ve seen these two teamsthe counterpunch is almost immediate. This happened in the last 10 years. You lose one, you gain another, but you have to have faith,” said Shastri.
“It would mean that Rahul would go back to the middle order. But if Rohit Sharma had started in the first Test itself, he would have done that,” he said.
I like the word choice of Pat Cummins in Perth – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri then advised Rohit Sharma to learn from the Australian captain Pat Cummins on how to bounce back from defeat and ensure that Team India is at its best in the Brisbane Test match. He claimed:
“I like Pat Cummins’ choice of words in Perth. He said we’re not good enough, but we’re not as bad as the scoreboard shows. The reason I say good choice of words is because it’s not about what people say or write, I think India will can take a leaf.”
