India captain Rohit Sharma has suffered severe criticism for his decision to promote himself over the in-form KL Rahul in the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India.
Rohit, who missed the first Test due to the birth of his child, and saw his opening spot being taken up by KL Rahul, returned to bat at No.6 in the next two Tests at Brisbane and Adelaide. The return to a middle-order role did not work out well, as he managed scores of 3, 6 and 10. With India excluding Shubman Gill from the playing XI, one of KL or Rohit was set to occupy the No.3 spot.
KL has been India's top-scorer in the series so far, and has looked suited to the opener's role, facing 512 deliveries, comfortably the most by anyone from the team. However, he was displaced from his spot, with the out-of-form Rohit, who averages 25.41 in Tests this year, taking up the opener's spot again.
He lasted just five balls, undone by a Pat Cummins delivery that was short and wide, leaving him in a tangle. He managed to jab it in the air, getting a top edge that easily settled into the hands of mid-on.
Manjrekar, Nicholas slam Rohit for readjusting the batting
Commentators Sanjay Manjrekar and Mark Nicholas discussed how the Rohit issue extended to India's culture of preserving their "big-name players".
"An issue which is deeply connected with the Indian cricket culture Mark, is that....all those iconic players in India, struggling for runs, and then we go out of the way to make sure that he comes back into form", Manjrekar said.
"We make all kinds of adjustments to give the best kind of platform or opportunity for the iconic players. A situation where KL Rahul has been the best opener for both sides, the most consistent batter for India - he is being displaced from his position, batting at No.3, so that Rohit Sharma is given an opportunity to get into form."
"Now when you look at just pure cricketing logic and what's best for the team, I don't think that was a great move. KL Rahul has been so good at that position. It's not easy opening in Australia. Jaiswal and KL Rahul had a record partnership for India in Australia, but India quite happy to break that partnership to give a big-name player an opportunity to succeed.
"I know Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma have also had good partnerships at the top but that's come more on Indian pitches. In Australia when you've found an opener who's looked the part, pushing him down to No.3 to get a woefully out of form big-name player to open I thought was just a poor call."
Nicholas agreed, saying that the Indian culture of celebrating individuals over the game has some very apparent disadvantages.
"When they're (captains) out of form, it's what creates a problem and other players end up as the sacrificial lambs for it," Nicholas said. "It's a pity. In terms of India and celebrities, no doubt, it's amazing how the game is celebrated in India. But in many ways it's celebrated because of its players more than because of the art of the game. The players become as big as Bollywood stars.. it's a wonderful place to be if you love cricket. To be in a country that loves cricket as much as India does is a privilege, but it's not always leading to the right decision-making."
MSK Prasad: 'Rohit has not been proactive'
The criticism extends beyond his batting: former chief selector MSK Prasad said: "We had a three-match series against New Zealand, it was pathetic. It had never happened in the history of Indian cricket that we lost three games in a row. Rohit got absolutely no runs in the series.
"He comes into the (Australia) series – he didn't play the first game, Bumrah led the side really well. He comes with the backdrop of consistent failures. I feel that has got a direct impact: if he comes with some form, that has direct impact on the side. He comes after a series of failures, and that's clearly shown in the way he has led the side."
"He has not been proactive on many occasions: he had 11 overs bowled by Siraj and Bumrah on the trot when Sam [Konstas] was going hammer and tongs. He's been struggling a bit with his form and captaincy".
Getting hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has now become a far-fetched dream, and a World Test Championship final spot would be a miracle. With India already one retirement down, it doesn't seem unlikely that Rohit Sharma also decides to fade into the sunset, before the axe falls on him.
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