India batter Rohit Sharma’s poor form continued despite the change of batting position in the ongoing 4th Test of the BGT 2024 in Melbourne. Rohit Sharma, who opened the batting this time, scored only 3 runs before getting out to Pat Cummins.
Before this, Rohit had missed the first Test in Perth due to the birth of a second child and then batted at no.6 in Adelaide and Brisbane Tests, scoring 10, 3, and 6 in three innings.
According to former player Sanjay Manjrekar, one of the major issues with Indian cricket is that every effort is made to re-establish the greatest players. He challenged captain Rohit Sharma's decision to open following mediocre middle-order performances.
"An issue which is deeply connected with the Indian cricket culture Mark, is that....all those iconic players in India, struggling for runs, and then we go out of the way to make sure that he comes back into form.
We make all kinds of adjustments to give the best kind of platform or opportunity for the iconic players. A situation where KL Rahul has been the best opener for both sides, the most consistent batter for India - he is being displaced from his position, batting at No.3, so that Rohit Sharma is allowed to get into form,” Manjrekar was quoted by Wisden.
Manjrekar argued that it was not the wisest course of action for the squad in terms of cricketing reasoning and what would benefit the team.
"KL Rahul has been so good at that position. It's not easy opening in Australia. Jaiswal and KL Rahul had a record partnership for India in Australia, but India was quite happy to break that partnership to allow a big-name player to succeed,” he added.
While Jaiswal and Rohit have had excellent combinations at the top, Manjrekar noted that they came on Indian pitches.
"In Australia when you have found an opener who has looked the part, pushing him down to number 3 to get a woefully out-of-form big-name player to open I thought was just a poor call," he added.
Co-commentator Mark Nicholas concurred that there are certain drawbacks to the Indian tradition of praising individual stars above the game.
"When they are (captains) out of form, it is what creates a problem and other players end up as the sacrificial lambs for it. It is a pity. In terms of India and celebrities, no doubt, it's amazing how the game is celebrated in India. But in many ways, it is celebrated because of its players more than because of the art of the game. The players become as big as Bollywood stars.. it is a wonderful place to be if you love cricket. To be in a country that loves cricket as much as India does is a privilege, but it is not always leading to the right decision-making," he added.
India made 164/5 at stumps on day 2 in response to Australia’s 474 runs at MCG.
