Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the ongoing India versus England fourth Test raised many eyebrows once again, with Sanjay Manjrekar and Dinesh Karthik feeling the absence of Virat Kohli was noticeable in Ranchi.
Rohit's passive demeanour, seen in his reluctance to make proactive decisions during crucial moments, has often been criticized by cricket experts, and Manjrekar and Karthik felt the lack of energy in the Indian cricket team.
Despite the early breakthroughs, Rohit appeared to lack urgency, particularly in breaking the key partnerships, as it took 41 overs before Kuldeep Yadav was brought into the attack, allowing England to build crucial partnerships after five early wickets.
Even after breaking the crucial partnership between Joe Root and Ben Foakes, Rohit missed opportunities to put England under pressure by not taking the second new ball.
The lack of urgency was also seen on Day 2, with Ollie Robinson comfortably building on his partnership with Joe Root without facing much pressure from Team India. Manjrekar and Karthik, without naming Rohit directly, hinted that his captaincy failed to inject much-needed energy into the team, which Kohli used to do and still does despite not being the captain anymore.
As quotes by Hindustan Times, Sanjay Manjrekar said on Sports 18: “Virat Kohli is one of those guys. If the fielders are quiet, he will get the crowd to back the players, and bring some energy.”
Manjrekar added, “When he's out there, he just gets that intensity going. India are missing Virat Kohli. There is no one quite like him. He carries that energy.”
Dinesh Karthik was quick to join in by saying: “Virat has the uncanny knack of getting the crowd behind him.”
