The most important question confronting India going into Brisbane is where Rohit Sharma, the skipper, should bat. The No. 6 experiment did not work, and with KL Rahul not doing as well in Adelaide, the question is all the more important ahead of the Gabba Test. If the captain under-performs, there is bound to be negative energy within the team. As leader, Rohit is the key cog, and so far, he has appeared soft in comparison to Pat Cummins.
Take the end-of-match press conference, for example. Australia had bowled multiple bouncers to the Indian tail, and had literally hit all of them on the helmet. In a match that was done and dusted, it was a deliberate ploy to get at the Indians. Coming round the wicket to Mohammed Siraj after what happened earlier in the match, and to Harshit Rana and even Jasprit Bumrah, the Australians were upping the ante. Add to that the consistent booing of Siraj by the hostile Adelaide crowd. Finally, the headlines in the Australian media, which has labelled the victory as revenge for Travis Head after Siraj called him a liar. And yet, Rohit was diplomatic at the press conference and did not really say much.
A deep dive, and it is evident that Australia have responded to the ‘soft’ comment by Mitchell Johnson. They are playing it hard and the series isn’t all about friendly banter anymore. That’s where Rohit needs to step up. And Brisbane is his opportunity. With the bat and as leader. It will be interesting to see if Rohit asks Bumrah and Siraj to bowl a few short ones to Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, and gives them a taste of it. In all fairness, he should. He ought to stand up for Siraj and make sure he feels protected and taken care of. And all of this can happen if he scores with the bat. At the moment, he is looking a little off because he hasn’t scored. It is natural that things will play on his mind. Back-to-back Test losses are not easy to digest, and from the high of the T20 World Cup to the current low, Rohit has seen every range of emotion.
Knowing Rohit, he will know it is a matter of one game. One good innings and things will change for the better. Mentally, he needs to believe he can do it. He should ask himself where he can help the team better. It is a big call and one that could have an impact on the series. If he opens, he will have to blunt the new ball at the Gabba. If he bats in the middle order, he has to stay out there and take the attack to Australia, much like Head did to India. Either way, the captain has to perform and the time is now.
Personally speaking, I’d like to see Rohit back as opener. That’s where he has made his mark, and while the Adelaide experiment was a fair and rational call, it is time to restore order. Let Rahul go back to No. 6 and let the captain come up the order and make a statement. You can’t beat Australia if the captain isn’t strong enough, and the onus is now on Rohit to take control of the series. In every sense, Brisbane is one of the most important matches that Rohit will play. From the standpoint of the series, India can’t afford its captain to fail again.
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