India captain addresses form concerns after series of failures
BRISBANE: Apart from the top-order jitters, India have also been grappling with the poor form of their captain. On Wednesday, the skipper accepted for the first time that he had been struggling for runs.
Rohit Sharma has scores of 3, 6 and 10 after having arrived late on this tour but more importantly, has looked uncomfortable adjusting to his new No. 6 role. Are his frustrations growing with each early dismissal?
In what should come as good news for the team ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Rohit said he was satisfied with his preparations and feeling good mentally about his batting.
"I've not batted well. There's no harm in accepting that, but I know what's in my mind, how I'm preparing myself," he said after the announcement of Ashwin's retirement. "All those boxes are pretty much ticked. It's just about spending as much time as possible (in the middle). As long as my mind, my body and my feet are moving well, I'm happy with how things are panning out.
"Sometimes, those numbers can tell you it's been a while since he's got big runs, but for a person like me, it's all about how I feel in my mind, what kind of prep I'm having before each game. I'm feeling good about myself, to be honest. The runs are obviously not showing that but inside it's a different feeling."
It's right that Rohit hasn't spent enough time in the middle to rediscover his rhythm, but his footwork has been an issue at times, with the normally fluent new-ball hitter struggling to adjust against the older, softer Kookaburra after conceding space to KL Rahul at the top. He is scintillating when in full flow and with the long gap between the third and fourth Tests, India will be hoping to see a different Rohit at the MCG.
