Rohit Sharma’s start to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been a forgettable affair. The India captain sacrificed his spot as opener for KL Rahul, registering scores of just 3 and 6 while batting at No. 6 in the middle order. Moreover, India losing the pink-ball Test in Adelaide in just over two days has thrown Rohit in the firing line again. Under him, India have lost their last 4 Tests and are pretty much out of the reckoning for a place in the final of the World Test Championship. To get things back on track, one of the things India can experiment with is bringing Rohit back to the position he is most comfortable at – as opener – but apparently, that idea too, is being frowned upon as the captain is believed to be down with ‘limited footwork’ and ‘slowing reflexes.
Rohit last scored a century for India in February of this year, and barring a few flashes of brilliance, he has struggled for form. Alarmingly enough, his manner of dismissals – getting squared up and bowled – has raised concerns over whether he’s still got it. So, will facing the brand-new red ball in Gabba bring an end to his woes? Well, not really. If anything, it can land him in more trouble.
“Rohit Sharma has had very limited footwork all his career, even when he was in his prime. Obviously, at 37 and half years, the reflexes have slowed down, and he is picking the length a trifle late. The same Rohit will look very different in the IPL where you might still find him scoring a 35-ball-70 for Mumbai Indians with opposition having at least a couple of mid-130s domestic bowler,” a qualified batting coach told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
“If you look at Rohit’s dismissals even in India, he is getting squared up more often than not. The reason being his front-foot stride is becoming shorter with age. For example, if you have pronounced front-foot side, say three feet, you are able to cut the angle of deviation of a delivery off the surface. But if your stride is just a foot and quarter, you are allowing the same delivery to shape in or shape out. So, a world-class bowler will attack both your inside edge and outside edge.”
Why is No. 6 better for Rohit Sharma?
Of late, Rohit added a more attacking approach to his batting. This began at last year’s 2023 World Cup, where he gave India rollicking starts with quickfire half-centuries. He kept it going at the T20 World Cup, where his fifties against Australia and then England worked well for India; however, the same attacking instincts are letting him down. With the pink ball, it was a different case altogether, as it does a lot under lights. But the coach feels Rohit at 6 is much better than Rohit at the top as it will allow him to play his attacking game against the old ball, exponentially shooting up his chances of succeeding.
“To be fair, if your stride is shorter and reflexes on the wane, the Pink Kookaburra will make it even more difficult for you to survive. I think KL had said before the game that it comes a lot quicker than Red Kookaburra and it skids off the surface. With his current footwork, the Red Kookaburra would again dart around and seam at the Gabba if he opens,” he added.
“If he comes in at No. 6, there is every chance that it will be either old or semi-old Kookaburra with suppressed seam and it won’t do much. He can play his customary attacking game and get quick runs. If he comes when the second new ball is taken, that means (Mitchell) Starc and (Pat) Cummins have both bowled 25 odd overs.”
