New Delhi [India], December 29 (ANI): Former cricketer Atul Wassan has expressed concerns over India captain Rohit Sharma's form, stating that the seasoned opener made a mistake by dropping to the number six spot instead of playing his usual role as an opener when he returned to the side in the second Test against Australia.
In just six months, Rohit has gone from being celebrated as a hero following India's famous T20 World Cup triumph to struggling for form and becoming a subject of debate.
Since his return to Test cricket against Bangladesh in September, Rohit has been chasing the shadows of his former self. His lean patch, which began during the two Tests against Bangladesh, extended through the three Tests against New Zealand on home soil.
Even in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, Rohit has struggled to score runs. He missed the first Test due to personal reasons and returned to the lineup in the second Test in Adelaide. Rohit shifted from his regular opening position to the middle order for the second and third Tests but reverted to opening in the fourth Test.
Despite high expectations upon his return to the top of the order, Rohit's struggles continued. In the fourth Test, he was dismissed for just 3 runs off 5 balls while attempting his trademark shot.
Wassan feels Rohit made a mistake by resorting to the middle order instead of coming back into the side as an opener.
"You can see the way he got out. Old Rohit would have hit it for a boundary. But this time, he stopped in the middle. His instinct said to hit it, but he felt he should not. He made the mistake of not opening when he returned," Wassan told ANI.
Former India cricketer Madan Lal feels Rohit losing his wicket while trying his trusted shot can happen in the absence of his form.
"Questions will be raised. When you are not in form, you are not scoring runs, criticism will be there. On shots where he used to score fours and sixes, he got out while trying that shot. When you are out of form, such things happen. There are a couple of innings left, and I hope he scores runs," he added. (ANI)