Legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has given advice for embattled Indian captain Rohit Sharma to regain form after India's embarrassing 10-wicket defeat against Australia in the second Test which was played at the Adelaide Oval, on December 8. The former cricket player feels that Rohit's performance, both as a player and as a captain, is crucial for India's success and he should not take the pressure of scoring his own runs, which is affecting his captaincy. Following India's 10-wicket hammering against Australia in Adelaide, both Rohit's captaincy and batting have come under intense scrutiny. Rohit missed the Perth Test due to paternity leave but returned for the Adelaide Test. However, he failed to make any impact, scoring just 9 runs across both innings.
Harbhajan Singh has an advice for Rohit Sharma
Meanwhile, Harbhajan pointed out that Rohit's struggles have been evident since the home series against New Zealand. He also adviced Rohit to perform well in the upcoming Brisbane Test to regain confidence and silence his critics.
"When such a big player doesn't score runs, it will become a slight cause for concern. We know that Rohit has great ability and has scored a lot of runs for India. However, he didn't score runs in this match and the previous series as well. When the runs are not scored, the pressure comes on the batter," Harbhajan said, as quoted by India Today.
"We won't want the Indian captain to have the pressure of scoring his own runs, as it could affect his captaincy as well. We hope that he comes back to form. The conditions at other venues like Brisbane might suit him more. He needs to leave this match behind and think about what better can be done going forward and how the team can play better because the team is more important than his form," he further added.
Notably, India's hammering in Adelaide Test marked Rohit's fourth consecutive Test defeat as captain, placing him alongside legendary figures like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar in an undesirable record.
India's batting was a total disaster in both the innings, with the team collapsing to totals of 180 and 175. Mitchell Starc's exceptional spell of 6/48 decimated the Indian batting lineup in the first innings, while Pat Cummins' five-wicket haul further exposed India's weakness in the second.
Rohit's leadership was also under scrutiny, as the team struggled to receive support from senior players. Apart from young Nitish Kumar Reddy, no other Indian batter could impress. With Australia needing only 19 runs to win, the match was wrapped up quickly on the very third day itself. India will look to bounce back in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane which will be played from December 14.