Harbhajan Singh recently shared his thoughts on Rohit Sharma’s form, emphasizing that the Indian captain needs to score more runs to improve his performance. Rohit’s struggle with the bat has become a concern, especially after his disappointing performance in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide, where he managed just nine runs across both innings.
Harbhajan believes that scoring runs would help boost Rohit’s confidence and enhance his leadership qualities. “As a captain, I would like Rohit Sharma to make runs. When he scores runs, he will think better and do better things,” Harbhajan said. He further explained that even the best players worry about their form. Therefore, by scoring runs, Rohit would make better decisions both as a batsman and captain. “Let’s hope that Rohit Sharma scores some runs so that his captaincy gets better,” Harbhajan added.
In the second Test, Australia showcased their dominance. After India elected to bat, they were dismissed for just 180 runs. Mitchell Starc led the charge with an impressive 6 wickets for 48 runs, while Pat Cummins and Scott Boland also contributed with two wickets each. Although KL Rahul (37) and Shubman Gill (31) formed a brief 69-run partnership, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s 42 was the only other significant contribution.
Australia responded strongly, posting a total of 337 runs. Travis Head was the standout performer, scoring a remarkable 140 off 141 balls. Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s (4/61) and Mohammed Siraj’s (4/98) efforts, India struggled to break through Australia’s strong batting.
India’s second innings proved to be even more challenging. Although Jaiswal (24) and Gill (28) showed some promise, they were dismissed early. As a result, India ended Day 2 at 128/5. On Day 3, Rishabh Pant’s dismissal for 28 left India with little hope, and they were eventually bowled out for just 175 runs. Australia then needed only 19 runs to win, which they chased down easily in just 3.2 overs. Khawaja (10*) and McSweeney (9*) sealed the victory for Australia.
Australia’s dominant 10-wicket victory put them back at the top of the World Test Championship standings. On the other hand, India’s defeat highlighted the need for stronger performances, particularly from key players like Rohit Sharma.
