Former Australia cricketer Simon Katich feels that Jasprit Bumrah’s use of his bowlers was far superior to Rohit Sharma in Adelaide. Notably, Jasprit Bumrah was praised for his captaincy in Perth in the absence of Rohit Sharma as India won the match by 295 runs.
However, captain Rohit Sharma failed to keep the team’s winning momentum going under his leadership as India lost the second Test by ten wickets allowing Australia to make a comeback in the series. Recently, Simon Katich compared the captaincy styles of both Rohit Sharma and Bumrah and mentioned that Bumrah’s rotation of his bowlers was far superior to Rohit Sharma.
Rohit Sharma’s captainship under scrutiny after failures vs NZ and Australia
The loss last week was India’s fourth-straight in Test under Rohit’s captaincy, having conceded three games at home to New Zealand last month. In a recent interaction, Katich feels Rohit failed to rotate his bowlers, something his deputy Jasprit Bumrah managed to do pretty well during India’s 295-run win over Australia in the series-opener in Perth.
Under Jasprit Bumrah, India started the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a rousing note, beating Australia by 295 runs, but Rohit’s return was marked by a 10-wicket-defeat in the day-night Test, which levelled the series 1-1 with three Tests to go. The stark difference for India in Perth and Adelaide was their bowling.
In the series opener, India, after being bowled out for 140, roared back with the ball, dismissing the Aussies for just 104. But the same bowling attack looked vulnerable and undercooked with the pink-ball, allowing Australia to smash 337, Travis Head leading the way with a wonderful century.
Simon Katich reckons the same bowling attack, under Bumrah and Rohit Sharma, cut a very contrasting figure. Explaining the difference in how the two captains operate with their bowlers, it’s evident that Rohit Sharma’s leadership fell flat, whereas Bumrah ticked every box. Katich appealed to Rohit Sharma to grab the bull by its horns and shake things up.
Former Australia batter Simon Katich criticized India captain Rohit Sharma for his bowling changes during the 10-wicket loss in the Pink-Ball Test in Adelaide.
Former Australian batter Simon Katich questions Rohit Sharma’s leadership in 2nd BGT 2024-25 Test
Former Australia batter Simon Katich has questioned India captain Rohit Sharma for his bowling changes in the second Test. The reaction came after India lost the game in Adelaide by 10 wickets.
Katich reckoned that Rohit Sharma failed to rotate his bowlers wisely in the pink-ball Test despite fielding in the slips. The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah led the tourists much better in the first Test in Perth, where they won by 295 runs.
Rohit Sharma has now lost four games on the trot as skipper. He previously lost the home Test series to New Zealand by a 0-3 margin. With four consecutive losses, Rohit Sharma has joined MAK Pataudi, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar on the unwanted list of Indian skippers.
Simon Katich told ‘Around the wicket’ podcast (via India Today):
“When you compare the two results, obviously, in Perth, Rohit Sharma missed out. And I thought Bumrah’s captaincy, and particularly, the use of his bowlers in the length that they bowled, was far superior to what we saw in Adelaide. In Perth late on Day 1 when Australia were 7/67, India attacked the stumps and bowled much fuller and straighter lengths.”
“Whereas, when you look at the pitch map for Adelaide, on the night of Day 1, they were a lot shorter and wider, and around the 7-8 meter mark. So they missed a trick. Rohit Sharma was at first slip; he saw it all unfold. He needs to be a bit more proactive with his quicks when that’s happening. Because Australia got out of jail in that session only being one down and as a result, went on to win the Test,” he added
Rohit Sharma departed for 3 and 6 in the second Test while playing at No. 6. The 37-year-old has 142 runs in last six Tests at an average of 11.83, including one half-century.
India’s WTC final hopes hang in balance
Meanwhile, India’s World Test Championship (WTC) final qualification chances have taken a massive hit after their ten-wicket loss in the pink ball Test. The Rohit Sharma-led side needs to win the ongoing series by a margin of 3-1 or 4-1 to qualify for their third consecutive final.
After the Adelaide loss, India are now on the third spot in the WTC standings for the 2023-25 cycle with nine wins from 16 matches having a points percentage of 57.29%. On the other hand, Australia continue to be on the second spot having percentage of 60.71%. Meanwhile, South Africa are just one win away from qualifying for the summit clash sitting comfortably on the top of the standings having a points percentage of 63.33%.
Rohit Sharma will have his task cut out as India look to jot down on a winning combination with three games to go. The five-Test series is currently tied 1-1 after India lost the second Test by 10 wickets. The visitors had won the series opener at Perth by 295 runs. The third Test begins on Saturday at at the Gabba, Brisbane.