Melbourne, Dec 27 Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar raised concerns over Rohit Sharma's diminishing reflexes, suggesting that age might be catching up with the Indian skipper after his lazy dismissal in the ongoing Boxing Day Test against Australia on Friday.
Gavaskar highlighted flaws in the 37-year-old’s footwork, which have become more apparent during his struggles in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rohit’s decision to return to the opening slot in the fourth Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, partnering with Yashasvi Jaiswal and relegating KL Rahul to No. 3, failed to yield results.
Facing just 12 deliveries, Rohit managed only three runs before falling to his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins in India's first innings at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Attempting a half-pull shot to a short-of-length delivery outside off, Rohit mistimed the stroke, sending a top-edge to Scott Boland at mid-on. The shot, described by Gavaskar as an uncharacteristic lapse, underscored Rohit’s recent struggles against Cummins.
"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.
Cummins has now dismissed Rohit seven times in Test cricket, further establishing himself as a nemesis. Over their encounters, the Australian skipper has conceded only 127 runs against Rohit across 199 deliveries - a stark statistic that underlines the Indian captain’s inability to dominate the Aussie quick.
"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.
The early loss of Rohit unplugged India’s struggles on a pitch that had proven to be a batting paradise for Australia. KL Rahul fared no better, falling to Cummins for 24 runs.
Jaiswal, provided a glimmer of hope with his fluent 82 came off 118 balls and included 11 boundaries and a maximum. Partnering with Kohli, Jaiswal helped India stabilise, putting together a 102-run stand for the third wicket. However, a calamitous mix-up between the two ended Jaiswal’s innings, with the opener run out as Kohli hesitated to respond to a risky single.
Kohli, who had started his innings with determination, could not capitalise on the foundation laid alongside Jaiswal. Once again, he fell prey to his habit of edging deliveries outside the off-stump. Attempting a drive to a wide delivery from Scott Boland, Kohli nicked it to Alex Carey behind the stumps, departing for 36.
Kohli’s dismissal, coming just seven balls after Jaiswal’s run-out, exposed India’s middle order to Australia’s relentless attack. Nightwatchman Akash Deep failed to stem the tide, falling for a duck to Boland, who ended the day with impressive figures of 2 for 24.
India were 164/5 at stumps on Day 2, still 310 runs behind Australia’s massive first-innings total of 474. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja are unbeaten at the crease for six and four respectively.
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