India lost the Pune Test by 113 runs to concede the series to New Zealand.
This result has put Rohit Sharma on the firing line as India’s remarkable streak of 18 consecutive home Test series wins ended under his captaincy.
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was also critical of Rohit’s tactic in Pune, saying that he was not proactive to match New Zealand's intensity.
"Not at his best. I thought he had a very tough Test match, he did all he could. I could see there was a lot of pressure on him, add to the fact, that he did not get many runs as well. So overall, it was not a great Test match. He will reflect and think, 'what could I have done better? Was I a reactive captain or a pro-active captain?'" Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Rohit also failed to make a mark with the bat in either of the two Tests, returning with scores of 2, 52, 0 and 8 from the four innings.
"There is a fine line, this Test match was one where he was chasing the ball a little bit. He tried his best with whatever he could, but you have to say it wasn't the best game for either him or Team India," he added.
Following the series defeat, Rohit Sharma made a rather interesting remark as he suggested that the team is allowed one such performance in 12 years.
"We are allowed one such performance in 12 years. If we were collapsing like this on a regular basis then we would not have been winning at home. We have a lot of expectations. We are expected to win every game at our home, and it is because of our performances," he said in the presser.
The third Test against New Zealand, slated to be held in Mumbai from November 1, has become a must-win for India to stay in the WTC final race. The Rohit Sharma-led side will next travel to Australia for the five-match Test series.
Losing the New Zealand series 3-0 will make life rather difficult for India as they need at least four wins in the remaining six Tests and will need to depend on other teams to qualify for the WTC final.