NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has shed light on the reason behind India captain Rohit Sharma‘s recent struggles with form. Gavaskar expressed apprehension about Rohit’s declining reflexes during the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne.
The former Indian captain observed notable issues with the 37-year-old’s footwork, which have become particularly noticeable throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The strategic move to open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the fourth Test, while shifting KL Rahul to the third position, proved unsuccessful for Rohit. His brief stint at the crease lasted merely 12 deliveries, yielding just three runs before Pat Cummins claimed his wicket in India’s first innings.
The dismissal occurred when Rohit attempted to execute a half-pull shot to a short-of-length delivery outside the off stump, resulting in a top edge that was caught by Scott Boland at mid-on. Gavaskar noted this dismissal as unusual for Rohit, emphasising his continued difficulties against Cummins’s bowling.
“That’s a shot that he normally plays. The half-pull off the front foot. I think he probably got in two minds whether to go for the proper pull shot or not and then ended up just trying to tap it like catching practice. But that’s what happens when you have a gap, when you’re 36, 37 years old and you have a long gap between playing cricket,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports on Rohit’s dismissal.
In Test cricket, Cummins has proven to be particularly effective against Rohit, having secured his wicket on seven occasions. The Australian captain’s superiority is evident in the numbers – he has restricted Rohit to just 127 runs from 199 balls. These statistics clearly demonstrate the Indian skipper’s struggles when facing the Australian fast bowler in the longest format of the game.
“That is the reason why you’re seeing that there is probably not the same sort of footwork as you would expect, because your body is such as you get older. It reacts just a little bit slower. You know, the mind is there. Everything the mind tells you, but the body just doesn’t do that. So, if you’re being continuous at the age of 37, regularly, no problem. Because you know your bat-speed, everything. The moment you have a break, you must be very, very careful, very, very mindful,” he added.
At the close of play on Day 2, India reached 164/5, trailing Australia’s substantial first-innings score of 474 by 310 runs. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten with scores of six and four respectively.
