Former India head coach suggested Rohit Sharma-led to side take a lesson from Australia's approach after the Men in Blue lost the second Test match against Pat Cummins & Co. in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Australia defeated India by 10 wickets in the day/night pink ball Test to level five Test match series.
He praised Australia captain Pat Cummins for making a comeback in the second Test match after losing the first Test by 295 runs.
"I like the choice of words by Pat Cummins in Perth. He said we weren’t good enough, but we weren’t as bad as the scoreboard showed. The reason I say good choice of words is because it wasn’t about what people said or what was written about, it was about what the scoreboard showed. I think India can take a leaf out of that.
"It would mean Rahul would go back to the middle order. But that’s what he was going to do if Rohit Sharma had started from the first Test itself," Ravi Shastri told the broadcasters during the second Test..
He also suggested Rohit Sharma play as an opener in the third Test match which is scheduled to start from December 14. Shastri also opined that the Indian skipper was not too much involved in the game. He also advised India to believe in themselves that they can bounce back in the ongoing series.
"That’s the reason I want him at the top. That’s where he can be aggressive and expressive. Just thought he was a little too subdued, just seeing his body language. The fact that he didn’t make runs, I don’t think there was enough on the field there. I just wanted to see him more involved, and a little more animated. You still have to believe that you can bounce back in this series. You have seen with these two teams, that the counter-punch is almost immediate. It’s happened over the last 10 years. You lose one, you win the next, but you have to have the belief," added Shastri.
Rohit sacrificed his spot at the top of the order to allow KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal to continue opening. However, he struggled at No. 6, managing just nine runs across two innings. India will now lock horns against Australia for the third Test match which is scheduled to start from December 14. The ongoing Test series is important for India to seal their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final which will take place in England next year.
