Rohit Sharma’s woeful run of form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy continued despite his return to the opening spot for the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the MCG.
The Indian skipper, who batted at No. 6 in the last two Tests, managed to score only 3 runs in the first innings and followed up with another single-digit score of 9 on Monday (December 30). He was once again dismissed by his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins in the second essay.
Rohit's average after the twin failures in Melbourne stood at 6.20, the lowest-ever for a touring captain in a Test series Down Under (minimum five innings). No wonder, his performance against Australia (31 runs in five innings) has come under severe scrutiny.
After India’s 184-run defeat in penultimate Test, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan didn’t filter his words as he said Rohit Sharma's place in the playing XI would not have been assured if he was not the captain.
"A player who has made about 20,000 runs—yet the way Rohit is struggling now, it seems his form is not supporting him at all. What’s happening now is that he is the captain, so he is playing. If he were not the captain, he might not be playing right now. You would have had a set team," Pathan told Star Sports.
"KL Rahul would have been playing at the top. Jaiswal would have been there. Shubman Gill would have been there. If we talk about reality, considering how he is struggling with the bat, there might not have been a place for him in the playing XI," he added.
Notably, Rohit Sharma averages 24.76 from 14 Tests in 2024. The 37-year-old missed the BGT opener in Perth due to paternity leave. He returned to lead the side in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, but failed to make a mark with the bat.
Rohit moved down the order 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 the two innings in Adelaide.
During the rain-marred third Test at the Gabba, Sharma continued to bat at No. 6 and scored only 10 runs in the only innings that he played.
Speaking further on Rohit, Pathan said, "But because he is the captain, and you want to win the next match to draw the series, he stays in the team. But his form is so poor. Even in India, even before coming here, he wasn’t scoring runs, and he still hasn’t scored runs."
"This is a very disappointing scene when I see Rohit Sharma batting. Because whenever I see Rohit Sharma batting, I always want to see him bat. Whether it is test cricket or one-day cricket, But now, his form, the way he is going forward, whether it is his mindset or the coordination with his body, I can't see that at all," he remarked.
