Rohit says, “Sometimes it doesn’t come off, and this series it hasn’t come off, which I am very disappointed with”
India’s captain Rohit Sharma has acknowledged that following a disappointing and historic 3-0 whitewash at home, he was “not at my best” in his roles as both captain and batsman, admitting that his team “failed as a unit” due to making “numerous mistakes.”
In pursuit of 147 runs to salvage any potential World Test Championship points from a series already lost, India faltered, collapsing to 121 all out against the spin bowling of Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips.
“Undoubtedly, this represents a significant low point in my career, having suffered three defeats at home,” Rohit stated during the post-match press conference. “I fully accept responsibility for this as both captain and leader. I have not performed to the best of my abilities since the beginning of the series, and my batting has also been inadequate.” There was a glimmer of hope for the hosts when Rishabh Pant launched a counterattack, scoring 64 runs off 57 balls. However, the innings began poorly at 29 for 5, and after Pant’s dismissal, which came from a controversial third-umpire decision, the situation deteriorated rapidly. Rohit reflected on the series and expressed disappointment with his own decision-making.
“From the outset, I stated my intention. I made the choice to bat first on that Bangalore pitch, which proved to be incorrect,” he remarked. “There were also several tactical errors that did not yield favorable outcomes. Decisions like these involve risks; sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they do not. Unfortunately, this time, my decisions did not work out. Therefore, I was not at my best in terms of leadership, which likely cost us the series.”
Rohit’s struggles throughout the series contrasted sharply with the impressive performance of Tom Latham, who recently took on the full-time captaincy of the New Zealand team.
“New Zealand outperformed us consistently throughout the series,” he noted during the presentation. “We made numerous mistakes, and we must acknowledge them. In both the first and second Tests, we failed to post sufficient runs in the first innings, leaving us significantly behind in the matches.”
In this match, we established a lead of 30 runs and felt somewhat in control of the situation. The target was attainable; all that was required was a bit more application, which we unfortunately did not achieve as a collective unit.
Concerns regarding Rohit’s batting form have emerged throughout this series. Aside from a score of 52 in the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru, he has recorded scores of 2, 0, 8, 18, and 11. Sanjay Manjrekar, speaking on ESPNcricinfo, also commented on Rohit’s captaincy, suggesting that he employed T20 strategies in a Test match context.
During the chase in Mumbai, Rohit managed to score 11 runs off 11 balls, including two boundaries, but was dismissed while attempting his preferred pull shot against Matt Henry.
“When pursuing a target of that nature, it is essential to have runs on the board, and that was certainly on my mind,” Rohit stated. “Unfortunately, it did not materialize. When things do not go as planned, the outcome appears less favorable. I approach my batting with specific ideas and methods, but sometimes they do not yield results, and this series has been disappointing in that regard.” The other senior player in the team, Virat Kohli, has also struggled, accumulating only 93 runs across six innings, prompting a need for serious reflection. India is set to face the current Test match champions, Australia, in just over two weeks.
“Undoubtedly, the lack of runs from both myself and Kohli is a concern,” Rohit acknowledged. “When the batters are not performing, it raises alarms. However, what is done is done. As players, as a captain, and as a team, we must look ahead and determine how to rectify our shortcomings. We have a significant opportunity to achieve something remarkable in Australia. At this moment, we need to analyze what went wrong against New Zealand and identify areas for improvement as a team. We made numerous errors, and it is crucial that we address these issues in our discussions.”
Upon arrival in Australia, it is crucial to concentrate on the initial Test match of the five-match series. It is essential to analyze each Test match individually, focusing on one at a time before progressing further.
There were indeed positive aspects to note, particularly in the batting lineup, where younger players such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and Washington Sundar demonstrated their ability to score runs even on challenging pitches.
“These players illustrated the approach needed to bat effectively on such surfaces,” Rohit remarked regarding the younger contingent. “One must adopt a proactive mindset when facing pitches of this nature, a concept we have discussed extensively over the past few years. We understand the necessary strategies; however, this series was unfortunate in that our efforts did not yield the desired results. We attempted various tactics, but they did not succeed, which ultimately contributed to our shortcomings in the series.”
