Last Updated:
Rohit Sharma’s last Test half-century came in the second innings of first match against New Zealand at home.
Rohit Sharma has been struggling for runs in Australia.
Former international Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Rohit Sharma’s bad form in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy can be traced back to the ‘rude shock’ he got in the home series against New Zealand, where his defense was ‘gone to pieces’ on Indian pitches.
The Indian skipper struggled to get going against Australia, scoring 3, 6 and 10 in the three innings since returning from home before the second Test. Against the Kiwis, too, he got one half-century, a 52 in the second innings of the first Test, sandwiched between sub-20 scores on either side. India ended up losing that series 0-3, their first such whitewash in history.
“He is short of confidence with self-doubts,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo. “And [it was a] bit of a rude shock when he played in that home series against New Zealand and his defense was getting breached on Indian pitches… “So for someone, who in 2021 when he had that terrific series in England, and scored a strike rate of 42, which is a bit Pujara-like and the entire series he batted for about 21 hours. This was a new discovery for all of us and now when he has to bring that game back, he just can’t find the defensive game. So that’s where the problem lies – Just gone to pieces, his defense,” he said.
“I remember commentating on that series ( 2021 England) and kept saying ‘this is Pujara-like’, the way he was grinding away. And I thought it was the rebirth of Rohit Sharma, the Test cricketer, who got those two centuries in his first two Tests. I also felt this is his true calling, this is what he loves to do – which is playing for time like a typical Mumbai batter.”
While Rohit opened the innings against New Zealand, he shifted to number six in Australia to make room for KL Rahul at the top of the order. While some Indian pundits and observers believe that he needs to get back to his original spot to regain his mojo, others, including former head coach Ravi Shastri, say he needs to ‘change tactics’ and play more aggressively.
With the series tied 1-1, India and Australia will play the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, starting on December 26.
