Melbourne: The aftermath of India’s crushing 184-run defeat in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne saw Rohit Sharma facing tough questions about his future as a Test cricketer and a leader. During the post-match press conference, the Indian skipper admitted that his batting and captaincy had fallen short of expectations.
Rohit’s form has been a glaring issue, with just 31 runs in five innings in the series and a mere 123 runs across his last six Tests. His captaincy record has also come under scrutiny, with India winless in their previous six Tests under his leadership, including a historic 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand in October-November.
“We had the opportunity today to pull the game in our favour or draw it. It’s still a game to go; if we play well, it’ll be 2-2. I stand where I am standing today. Nothing to think what has happened in the past. A lot of things I am trying to do as a batter are not falling into place. You want to come here and try to do things successfully. When it doesn’t come off, it is disappointing,” Rohit told reporters.
Rohit also discussed the controversy surrounding Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal, which sparked widespread debate. Jaiswal, batting on 84, was controversially dismissed after a DRS review despite no clear evidence from Snicko.
“I don’t know what to make of that because the technology didn’t show anything. From the naked eye, it showed it touched something. I don’t know what the umpires want to use. In all fairness, he did touch the ball. We don’t want to look too much into that. We are just falling on the wrong side of it,” he said.
India now heads to the New Year’s Test in Sydney, needing a win to level the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit emphasised the importance of the final Test, saying, “There are things that we, as a team, need to look at, and I personally need to look at as well. We will try and see what happens.”
–IANS
Caption : Melbourne: India’s captain Rohit Sharma wears a black armband as a mark of respect for former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday, during the second day of the fourth cricket Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, December 27, 2024. (Photo: IANS/@BCCI)
