Former Australia cricketer Simon Katich believes that Jasprit Bumrah used his bowlers far more better during the Perth Test than Rohit Sharma did in Adelaide. Notably, during the absence of regular skipper Rohit, India won the match by 295 runs in Perth with Bumrah's captaincy. However, India lost the second Test by ten wickets, allowing Australia to rally in the series, as captain Rohit was unable to maintain the team's winning momentum.
Simon Katich on Rohit Sharma's captaincy
While comparing the captaincy styles of Rohit and Bumrah, Katich noted that Bumrah's bowler rotation was significantly better than Rohit's.
"When you compare the two results, obviously, in Perth, Rohit Sharma missed out. And I thought Bumrah's captaincy, and particularly, the use of his bowlers in the length that they bowled, was far superior to what we saw in Adelaide. In Perth late on Day 1 when Australia were 7/67, India attacked the stumps and bowled much fuller and straighter lengths," Katich said on the 'Around the Wicket' podcast.
Katich stated that Rohit could be a little more proactive with his fast bowlers and provide them with insightful feedback from behind the stumps.
"Whereas, when you look at the pitch map for Adelaide, on the night of Day 1, they were a lot shorter and wider, and around the 7-8 meter mark. So they missed a trick. Rohit Sharma was at first slip; he saw it all unfold. He needs to be a bit more proactive with his quicks when that's happening. Because Australia got out of jail in that session only being one down and as a result, went on to win the Test," he added.
India's WTC Final chances take big hit
India's ten-wicket defeat in the pink ball Test has severely hurt their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. To advance to their third straight final, the Rohit Sharma-led team must win the current series by a score of 3-1 or 4-1.
With nine victories from 16 games and a points percentage of 57.29%, India is now ranked third in the WTC rankings for the 2023–25 cycle following the Adelaide defeat. Conversely, with a percentage of 60.71%, Australia remains in second place. With a 63.33% points percentage and a commanding lead in the rankings, South Africa is only one victory away from earning a spot in the summit match.