Rohit Sharma's Defensive Approach Raises Concerns in India-England Test Series

It's almost like a cat avoiding fish, Rohit Sharma playing the defensive and not taking any risks against spinners, especially rookie ones.

The India captain's experience in the 1-1 Test series against England has been consistent so far; the third Test is scheduled to start in Rajkot on Thursday.


With a best score of 39 in the Hyderabad Test's second innings, Rohit has only averaged 22.50 in his four innings played so far. But Team India seems to be more concerned with Rohit's strategy than the figures.

To a certain degree, Rohit did have some difficulties against Nathan Lyon and even a Jack Leach. However, in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, Rohit was kept quiet and ultimately removed by a rookie debutant (Shoaib Bashir), who hasn't even played enough first-class games. That is not what one would anticipate.

Even in the second innings of the first game of the series, Rohit had withdrawn himself until he misinterpreted a straighter from the similarly inexperienced Tom Hartley. After that, he turned to face the sea as James Anderson pushed the ball in and out of Visakhapatnam on Sunday until he lost his off-stump.

However, why does Rohit seem so reserved? "A cricket player has ups and downs at different times in their career. A player may sometimes attempt to play too conservatively because of poor form, captaincy, or a number of other mental issues that prevent him from playing freely.

If they just grind, grind, and grind, it could work for some. However, because Rohit enjoys dominating bowlers, it may not work for him, former India opener WV Raman said to The Telegraph on Thursday.

"He should be okay if he concentrates on the strategy he has been using the entire time."

The distraction caused by issues off the field, particularly those unrelated to Team India, has also increased for Rohit. That being said, Rohit should feel somewhat more at ease in Rajkot. There, the pitch is firm black dirt, which tends to help hitters significantly more.

In addition, a National Cricket Academy source said that Ravindra Jadeja would potentially join the team in Rajkot in addition to KL Rahul, who is probably going to make a comeback.

Given that he and Jasprit Bumrah were the only players with the most experience in the first two games, mentally, Rohit may not have been in the ideal position. As this is a very strong England team, that anxiety maybe put him under a little more pressure. Former India keeper-batter Deep Dasgupta, who will provide commentary for the third and fourth Tests from London, remarked.

After the little vacation, he could be entering Rajkot with a clearer head. Additionally, he will feel much more at ease if he can establish some brief limits. This will assist to set the tone.

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