India skipper Rohit Sharma returned to the playing XI for the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia in Adelaide, but failed to make a mark with the bat.

Rohit, who missed the first Test in Perth due to paternity leave, returned with scores of 3 and 6 as the visitors lose the match by 10 wickets.

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 former cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Cheteshwar Pujara expressing concerns over his form.

Speaking on Star Sports, Harbhajan feared that the lack of runs might affect Rohit’s captaincy as well.

"When such a big player doesn't score runs, it will become a slight cause for concern. We know that Rohit has great ability and has scored a lot of runs for India. However, he didn't score runs in this match and the previous series as well,” Harbajan said.

“When runs are not scored, the pressure comes on (Rohit) the batter...We don't want the Indian captain to have the pressure of scoring his own runs, as it could affect his captaincy as well. We hope that he comes back to form," he added.

While it might be a temporary measure, Rohit Sharma moved down to No. 6 for the pink-ball Test to allow KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal to continue opening. However, the decision backfired as he couldn’t reach double digits in both innings.

Pujara echoed Harbhajan's viewpoint while also highlighting a major worry over how Rohit was dismissed in the two innings of the Adelaide Test.

The Indian captain was trapped LBW by Scott Boland in the first innings, and received an absolute jaffa from Pat Cummins in the second dig to lose his off pole.

"He (Rohit) got out lbw in the first innings and opened up his stance in the second innings, so he got bowled there. He will have to work a little more on that line because, from the same spot, he is getting lbw to the ball that is coming in and bowled to the ball that is going away," Puajara stated.

"There is a slight concern. As an Indian fan, I want Rohit to regain his form as quickly as possible. As Bhajju pa (Harbhajan) said, the captain's batting is very important because it affects his captaincy as well. I am slightly concerned with the way Rohit is getting out," he remarked.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is currently poised at 1-1, with the third Test scheduled to be held in Brisbane from December 14.