Rohit Sharma is struggling for runs in the longest format of the game this year.
Rohit missed the first Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia due to the birth of his second child. He returned to lead the side in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval, but failed to make a mark with the bat.
Sharma moved down the order to retain the successful opening partnership of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, the decision to bat at No. 6 backfired as he managed to score only nine runs across the two innings.
With Rohit facing scrutiny over inconsistent performances, former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has offered a unique piece of advice to the Indian captain to regain his lost form
"When I think of Rohit Sharma, I think of a free-scoring batsman. You look at those double hundreds in one-day cricket, his magnificence in the short formats," Hayden told Star Sports.
Rohit has scored only 142 runs at an average of 11.83 with one half-century in his last six Test matches since September 2024, leading to cricket pundits and former cricketers questioning his place in the side.
Hayden emphasized that adopting a defensive approach would not benefit Rohit as he is a naturally aggressive player.
"For purely Rohit Sharma's sake, he needs to have a great intent and energy about him. When I think back to Adelaide's first game here in a long time, he was just a little sluggish. I'd be saying to him as his partner, 'I don't really want to see you defend the ball here'. I want him to be really reactive to the ball, really up for the fight, because his natural game will flow. Energy and intent will take that front foot a lot further towards the ball," he remarked.
Despite the calls for his return to the top of the order, Rohit has slotted himself in the middle-order for the ongoing Gabba Test.
Hayden said that Rohit needs to focus on two crucial aspects -- intent and energy. "Rohit, what I want you to do, my brother, is play with great energy and intent, and I'd have those as two maybe trigger words for him to think about in his preparation," he stated.
Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on 0 as India ended the rain-marred third day at 51/4 in reply to Australia's huge first-innings total of 445.