Rohit Sharma acknowledges poor batting form, remains confident about performance
What's the story
Indian captain Rohit Sharma candidly admitted to his recent batting woes in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy following the recently-concluded Brisbane Test.
Despite having scored only 3, 6, and 10 in the series so far, Sharma remains optimistic about his game.
He missed the Test series opener in Perth, owing to the birth of his second child, and returned to a middle-order position after six years.
Game plan
Self-assessment and preparation strategy
Following the Gabba Test that ended in a draw, Sharma gave an assessment of his batting run. He said, "I have not batted well. There's no harm in accepting that."
Despite this, he is confident about how he has prepared and his mental state going into the next matches.
He stressed on spending maximum time on the field to better his game.
Form
Sharma was dismissed cheaply in Brisbane
On Day 4 of the 3rd Test in Brisbane, Sharma fell for a paltry 10 runs by Australian captain Pat Cummins.
Notably, Cummins sent Sharma back to the pavilion for the sixth time in 12 innings.
As mentioned, Sharma, a traditional opener, has pushed himself to number six to accommodate KL Rahul at the top.
Several experts have urged Sharma to return atop the batting order.
Team dynamics
Response to teammate departures and retirement
When asked about Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement and the absence of seniors Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, Sharma said that while he misses his long-time teammates, he understands that player turnover is a part of professional cricket.
He also humorously said that despite not always being on tours together, they manage to stay in touch.
Celebration controversy
Sharma defends team's celebration amid criticism
Rohit also defended his team's celebrations after India avoided the follow-on on Day 4 of the Test.
He argued there was "nothing wrong in celebrating small victories" within the game.
He further explained that from a personal perspective, avoiding the follow-on was a minor triumph for them considering their position in the match at that time.
Selection strategy
Stance on team selection and player security
When asked if Akash Deep could be included in place of Rana for the Adelaide Test, Sharma defended the latter's performance in the first Test.
He emphasized that players shouldn't be dropped if they haven't done poorly.
He was worried about how such decisions could affect the other members' sense of security in the squad.