IND vs AUS: Leadership Lessons! Gavaskar and Shastri Slam Rohit Sharma’s Choices and the Bowlers
IND vs AUS: Boxing Day Test Update In the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia, the Australian team scored a massive 474 runs in their first innings. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Team India made a change by bringing in Washington Sundar to replace Shubman Gill. However, Rohit and the Indian bowlers struggled to deliver their best performance against the Australian batsmen on the first day of the match. This decision has drawn criticism from former players Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri.
Rohit’s Bowling and Fielding Concerns
During the commentary on the second day of the Melbourne Test, Shastri questioned Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid for including two spinners in the lineup. He expressed his confusion, saying, “If you needed to bowl after 40 overs, why did you pick two spinners? In Melbourne, spinners should usually bowl one or one-and-a-half overs. I don’t understand why Jadeja and Sundar bowled after the 40-over mark.” According to an NDTV report, Shastri suggested that Rohit should have started the second day with Jasprit Bumrah, but instead, he opted for Mohammed Siraj. When Pat Cummins came in to bat after getting a wicket, Shastri pointed out that Rohit should have had fielders at long-on and long-off positions, at least one of them.
Bowlers Waste New Ball
Sunil Gavaskar was also quite upset with the Indian bowlers’ performance in the middle overs. He noted that apart from Bumrah, none of the Indian pacers performed well. Gavaskar remarked that the Indian fast bowlers “wasted” the new ball. He said, “It’s pretty simple. If you want to bowl a bouncer, you should aim around the helmet badge, not near the waist. I’m really disappointed; the new ball has been wasted. Aakashdeep was all over the place, bowling outside off-stump and wasting the new ball. The Indian players were also careless in the field.”
Rohit Struggles with Batting
After Australia was all out, the Indian team came out to bat, with Rohit Sharma opening alongside **Yashasvi Jaiswal instead of KL Rahul**. Unfortunately, Rohit’s poor form continued as he was dismissed for just **3 runs**. In **15 innings** across **8 matches**, he has only managed **155 runs**. He did score a half-century in the second innings of the first Test against **New Zealand**, but in the two matches against Australia, he has only scored **19 runs**. This marks one of the worst performances of his career. In this match, Pat Cummins set a record by dismissing Rohit for the **5th time**, tying with **Imran Khan** and **Richie Benaud** for the most dismissals of an opposing captain.
Most Dismissals of Opposing Captains in Test Matches
– 5 times: Ted Dexter – Richie Benaud
– 5 times: Sunil Gavaskar – Imran Khan
– 5 times: Rohit Sharma – Pat Cummins
– **4 times**: Gulabrai Ramchand – Richie Benaud
– **4 times**: Clive Lloyd – Kapil Dev
– **4 times**: Peter May – Richie Benaud
The upcoming fourth Test is crucial for Team India.
4th Test: A Crucial Match for Team India The fourth Test is really important for Team India. They entered this match tied at **1-1** in the series. In the first Test, under the captaincy of Jasprit Bumrah, India won by a solid **295 runs**. However, in the second match, with Rohit Sharma as captain, India faced a tough loss, going down by **10 wickets**. The third match ended in a draw. India has been successful at this venue in their last two visits, and they’re looking to secure a win in this Test to achieve a hat-trick of victories. Winning this match is also crucial for India to gain a decisive lead in the series. Additionally, it’s important for them to win to keep their hopes alive for reaching the final of the World Test Championship.
