‘I just wanted to see him more involved’- Ravi Shastri reflects on what Rohit Sharma needs to do to get in form

Recently, former India head coach Ravi Shastri spoke out on India captain Rohit Sharma’s performances. In the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25), Rohit Sharma joined the Indian team from the second Test and did not play for the team in Perth.

But in the second Test, the ‘Hitman’ did not play to his full potential. KL Rahul, who looked outstanding in Perth, took the seasoned batter’s starting position when he came out to bat in the middle order. Rohit Sharma, the captain, scored three and six runs in the two innings, respectively, therefore the decision did not work out. After witnessing Rohit Sharma’s performance, Ravi Shastri grabbed the stage and stated that, given his tendency towards aggression, Rohit should have been more involved in the match and should continue to bat in the top order.

“I want him at the top because of this. He can act aggressively and expressively there. I simply felt that, based on his body language, he was a bit too reserved. I believe there wasn’t enough on the pitch since he didn’t make any runs. I simply hoped he would be a little more enthusiastic and more involved. You still need to have faith in your ability to recover from this series. As you have observed with these two teams, the counterattack is nearly instantaneous. It has occurred throughout the past ten years. “You have to have the belief,” IndiaToday cited Shastri as saying. “You lose one, you win the next.”

I appreciate Pat Cummins’ word choice in Perth: Ravi Shastri

In addition, the former Indian cricket player drew attention to what Australia captain Pat Cummins had said. KL Rahul should return to the middle order, he believed, and India should try to benefit from Cummins’ remarks as well.

“I appreciate the language that Pat Cummins used in Perth. He claimed that although we weren’t good enough, the scoreboard didn’t reflect how awful we were. Rahul’s return to the middle order would result from it. However, that’s what he would have done if Rohit Sharma had begun with the very first Test,” Shastri said.