Melbourne [Australia], December 27: Former Indian cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and MSK Prasad have criticized Rohit Sharma’s decision to return to the opening spot after a string of poor performances in the middle order. They expressed concerns about the practice of making adjustments to accommodate star players, even at the cost of the team’s balance.
Rohit, who had scored just 19 runs in three innings while batting at number six during the series, was moved back to the opening position, pushing in-form KL Rahul down to number three. However, Rohit’s return to the top order didn’t prove fruitful as he was dismissed early by Pat Cummins after playing a poor shot.
Speaking during the commentary, Manjrekar said, “One of the biggest issues in Indian cricket is how we make adjustments just to get big players back in form. KL Rahul has been the most consistent Indian opener, yet he’s moved down to number three so Rohit Sharma can get a chance to return to form.”
Manjrekar added that the decision didn’t make sense from a cricketing perspective. “KL Rahul has been excellent as an opener, especially in Australia. Jaiswal and Rahul had a record partnership here, but India decided to break that up to accommodate a struggling player,” he said. “In Australia, when you’ve found an opener who looks the part, it’s poor judgment to push him down the order to make room for an out-of-form player.”
Fellow commentator Mark Nicholas also pointed out that the emphasis on individual stars over the collective good of the team could be detrimental. “When captains are out of form, it creates problems, and other players become sacrificial lambs,” he said. “India celebrates its cricketers like Bollywood stars, but it doesn’t always lead to the right decision-making.”
Former Indian selector MSK Prasad also expressed concern over Rohit’s lack of proactive leadership. “During the series against New Zealand, Rohit failed miserably. His poor form is having a direct impact on the team’s performance,” Prasad said. “He’s not been proactive, even when bowlers like Siraj and Bumrah were forced to bowl long spells.”
In the second session of the Boxing Day Test at MCG, Australia piled on the runs, with Steve Smith scoring 140 and a 112-run partnership with Pat Cummins (49) helping Australia reach 474 all out. Jasprit Bumrah (4/99) was India’s top bowler, supported by Ravindra Jadeja (3/78) and Akash Deep (2/94). India, chasing a big total, were at 164/5 at the close of play after quick wickets, including a strong partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal (82) and Virat Kohli (36).