English legend Michael Vaughan has once again questioned Rohit Sharma's captaincy ahead of the second Test between India and England, which is set to start from February 2 in Visakhapatnam. Vaughan said that India wouldn't have lost the first Test against England under Virat Kohli.
However, criticism continues to mount for Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma following the team's defeat against England in the first match of the five-Test series in Hyderabad. The team, outplayed by Ben Stokes' side, has seen Rohit's decision-making skills as captain come under scrutiny.
Michael Vaughan targets Rohit Sharma
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan targeted Rohit's leadership, claiming that India might not have lost the series opener had Kohli been in charge. Vaughan's remarks add to the growing chorus of former cricketers who have questioned Rohit's captaincy.
Rohit, who currently captains India in all three formats, led the team in the Hyderabad Test without Kohli, who was absent from the playing XI. Kohli withdrew from the first two Tests citing personal reasons.
During the challenging moments of the Hyderabad Test, Rohit was without Virat's counsel for on-field decisions. India also felt the impact of Kohli's absence in their batting lineup, especially when they faced a monumental collapse in the second innings when they were chasing a lowly 231-run target.
"They missed Virat Kohli's captaincy massively in Test cricket. Under Virat's captaincy that week, India wouldn't have lost the game. Rohit is a legend and a great player. But I felt he just switched off completely," he said on the YouTube channel 'Club Prairie Fire',
Previously, in an article for The Telegraph, Vaughan described Rohit's captaincy as 'very, very average', scrutinising his field placements, bowling rotations, and overall decision-making during the game.
"I thought Rohit Sharma's captaincy was very, very average. I thought he was so reactive, I don't think he maneuvered his field or was proactive with his bowling changes. And he didn't have any answer to Ollie Pope's sweeps or reverse sweeps," Vaughan had written.
India suffered a huge blow as they were hit by series of injuries, leading to the exclusion of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul from the second Test, coupled with the already noted absence of batting maestro Virat Kohli. During the fourth day of the first Test in Hyderabad, Jadeja picked up a hamstring injury, and Rahul experienced discomfort in his right quadriceps, according to a BCCI statement. Jadeja and Rahul's exclusions prompted the inclusion of star batter Sarfaraz Khan, left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, and all-rounder Washington Sundar in India's squad for the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Meanwhile, in a hammer blow to England team, their star spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the second Test after picking a knee injury during the opening encounter against India in Hyderabad.
India's squad for 2nd Test vs England
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar.
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