Rohit returned with scores of 3 and 6 in India's 10-wicket defeat during the Adelaide Test.
Reflecting on the outcome, former India head coach Ravi Shastri said that the visitors need captain Rohit Sharma to lead from the front if they are to recover from this crushing loss.
According to Shastri, Rohit looked deflated as captain, especially after failing with the bat in both innings of the pink-ball Test.
Rohit returned to India’s playing XI for the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test after missing the series opener in Perth due to paternity leave. In his absence, Jasprit Bumrah led the tourists to a commanding 295-run victory at the Optus Stadium despite being bowled out for 150 in the first innings.
However, India lacked energy in the field during the Adelaide Test after their first innings folded for 180. They ended up conceding a huge lead of 157 runs and then were bowled out for 175 in the second dig, setting Australia a target of just 19 runs, which the hosts chased down comfortably within the first session of Day 3.
While it might be a temporary measure, Rohit moved down to No. 6 for the pink-ball Test to retain the successful opening partnership of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, the decision backfired as he managed to score just nine runs across two innings.
"That’s the reason I want him at the top. That’s where he can be aggressive and expressive. Just thought he was a little too subdued, just seeing his body language. The fact that he didn’t make runs, I don’t think there was enough on the field there. I just wanted to see him more involved, and a little more animated. You still have to believe that you can bounce back in this series. You have seen with these two teams, that the counter-punch is almost immediate. It’s happened over the last 10 years. You lose one, you win the next, but you have to have the belief," Shastri told the broadcasters during the second Test.
The former cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that India should take a lesson from Australia’s approach and reflect on their weaknesses to prepare for the third Test, slated to get underway on December 14 at the Gabba.
"I like the choice of words by Pat Cummins in Perth. He said we weren’t good enough, but we weren’t as bad as the scoreboard showed. The reason I say good choice of words is because it wasn’t about what people said or what was written about, it was about what the scoreboard showed. I think India can take a leaf out of that.
"It would mean Rahul would go back to the middle order. But that’s what he was going to do if Rohit Sharma had started from the first Test itself," Shastri remarked.