Indian captain, Rohit Sharma is facing tremendous pressure for his batting exploits in the longest format of the game. The Hitman has been out of form and has been struggling with the bat in whites for a long time. He missed the first Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 at the Optus Stadium in Perth due to the birth of his baby boy. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the innings for the team and stitched together a 201-runs partnership which was instrumental in India’s 295-runs win.
He featured in the second Test match at the Adelaide Oval and decided to bat at number 6 and leave the opening spot for Rahul. However, he managed to score 3 and 6 in both innings of the Pink ball Test. India lost the Test match by 10 wickets and Sharma has been facing severe criticism for his inability to stand up with the bat in hand.
What did Cheteshwar Pujara say about Rohit Sharma?
Veteran India batter, Cheteshwar Pujara has stated that the Indian captain knows that he did not score runs with the bat in the home series against New Zealand and now failed in his first outing in Australia. So, he realises that the pressure is on him to perform. Pujara also feels that Rohit needs to be more positive and show more decisiveness with his footwork.
“He has not scored a lot of runs against New Zealand and he did not start well in Australia, so there is a bit of pressure on him to perform. But someone like him who knows his game will just have to be more positive, and work a bit more on his footwork. If he has a slightly bigger stride, it will help him,” Cheteshwar Pujara said in a video by ESPNcricinfo in the build-up to the Brisbane Test match.
Pujara commented that the line around the stumps has been causing significant trouble for Rohit Sharma, leading to dismissals by being bowled or LBW, which is a concern. He suggested that Rohit needs to focus on improving against this line during practice sessions, as he seems more comfortable with balls pitched outside off stump.
Pujara also expressed his view that Rohit should continue batting at number six, emphasizing the need to consider India’s future with players like KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who performed well in the first Test, and Shubman Gill, who is expected to bat at number three. He advocated for a long-term perspective in team strategy.
“The stump line has been troubling him a lot. He has been getting out bowled and LBW, which is a bit of concern for him. That’s the line he will have to work on in the nets, because in the balls outside off stump, he is looking more comfortable. I think he should continue to bat at No.6. We are looking at India’s future, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. They batted really well in the 1st Test match, Shubman also is likely to bat at No.3. We should think about the long term and that’s why I think that Rohit should continue to bat at No.6,” he further added.
