NEW DELHI: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s woeful batting form is affecting his captaincy in Australia, according to former team-mates Harb­hajan Singh and Chete­shwar Pujara.

Rohit has only one half-century in his last 12 Test innings, which include eight single-digit scores, and batting in the middle order in the second Test brought no relief for the opener, who managed three and six in Adelaide.

Rohit missed India’s comprehensive victory in the opening Test in Perth to care for his newborn son and commentators found his captaincy in Adelaide, where Australia triumphed by 10 wickets, rather defensive.

“No matter how big a player is, he is always worried about his performance,” former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan told Star Sports.

“There is no doubt that when a player scores runs, he makes better decisions. Let’s hope that Rohit Sha­rma scores some runs so that his captaincy gets better.”

Pujara, who was player-of-the-series when India became the first Asian team to win a Test series in Australia in 2018-19, said getting some runs could turn Rohit into a more proactive leader.

“When a captain is out of form, it affects his captaincy as well,” Pujara told the broadcaster. He also advised Rohit, a naturally attacking opener, to shun risks early in his knock.

“He is going through some bad form. But even then the start is very important for him,” Pujara said.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2024