Rohit Sharma Faces Backlash for Defensive Captaincy in Adelaide: A Call for Accountability

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Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed his criticism of Rohit Sharma's leadership during the second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in Adelaide, where India suffered a defeat by 10 wickets. Chopra observed that Rohit adopted a cautious strategy against Australian batsman Travis Head and failed to effectively utilize Jasprit Bumrah throughout the match.

Head once again proved to be a significant challenge for India, scoring a remarkable 140 runs off 141 balls in front of his home crowd. This performance enabled Australia to achieve a total of 337 runs, establishing a crucial 157-run lead. In reply, India could only muster 175 runs in their second innings, allowing the Australian openers to successfully chase down the modest target of 19 runs in just 20 balls.

In a discussion on his YouTube channel, Aakash noted that Rohit appeared uncertain as a captain, particularly in his management of Bumrah and in failing to instruct his fast bowlers to employ a short-ball tactic against Head.

"You are absolutely correct, my friend. Did we bowl bouncers to Head? It is essential to target him with bouncers. If we do not, he will continue to trouble us. He has done this before and is doing it again. He performed similarly in the World Cup final and the WTC final," he remarked.

"Jasprit Bumrah had bowled a four-over spell and taken a wicket during that time. So why did he only bowl those four overs and not return to bowl again? He did not bowl at all in the entire session. Therefore, you are entirely justified in saying that a strategic error was made in captaincy. Rohit's captaincy—let us be frank—was overly defensive. He allowed the match to slip away," he concluded.

Rohit Sharma's Captaincy Criticized: 'Lackluster' Performance Under Fire

Aakash then highlighted Rohit's unwanted captaincy streak of four straight losses, the other three being in the unprecedented whitewash at home against New Zealand in early November. Although Rohit matched MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli's humiliating tally with the loss in Adelaide, what left him concerned was that unlike his predecessors, three of those came at home.

"I have brought another list as well - the most consecutive losses by an Indian captain. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi lost six consecutive matches in 1967. After that, Sachin Tendulkar in 1999, and if you come to the 21st century, MS Dhoni twice lost four consecutive matches, Virat Kohli lost four consecutive matches in 2020-21, and now Rohit Sharma has already lost four consecutive matches," he said.

"He wasn't the captain in the Perth match. So that win doesn't count for him. If we leave the last century, it's Dhoni, Kohli and Rohit, and the biggest concerning thing, which might not be with anyone else, is three consecutive losses at home. The captaincy has been a little lacklustre," he added.