Melbourne [Australia], December 31 : Former cricketer Irfan Pathan slammed Rohit Sharma's ongoing struggles with form, suggesting his place in the team is secured more by captaincy than his batting performance.
"A player who has made about 20,000 runs--yet the way Rohit is struggling now, it seems his form is not supporting him at all," Pathan said on Star Sports.
"What's happening now is that he is the captain, so he is playing. If he were not the captain, he might not be playing right now. You would have had a set team. K.L. Rahul would have been playing at the top. Jaiswal would have been there. Shubman Gill would have been there," the former cricketer added.
Pathan's analysis suggests that, based on merit alone, Sharma might not have a place in the playing XI. "If we talk about reality, considering how he is struggling with the bat, there might not have been a place for him in the playing XI. But because he is the captain, and you want to win the next match to draw the series, he stays in the team," Pathan added.
The former cricketer's disappointment was palpable as he continued to critique Sharma's ongoing form. "...His form is poor. Even in India, even before coming here, he wasn't scoring runs, and he still hasn't scored runs. This is a very disappointing scene when I see Rohit Sharma batting. Because whenever I see Rohit Sharma batting, I always want to see him bat. Whether it is Test cricket or one-day cricket," he stressed.
Further, Pathan pointed to a visible disconnect in Sharma's game, attributing it to both mental and physical aspects. "But now, his form, the way he is going forward, whether it is his mindset or the coordination with his body, I can't see that at all," he stated.
Rohit seemed to be struggling for form, doing all the hard work on the fifth day but eventually returned to the dressing room with not much to show. Instead of going all guns blazing, Rohit adopted a defensive stance and mustered up nine runs after facing 40 deliveries. After effectively dealing with the pace threat, he decided to take on his counterpart, Pat Cummins. His attempt to flick the ball away resulted in a thick outside edge, which was carried to Mitchell Marsh at gully. With his head and shoulders slumped, Rohit returned to the dugout and left the floodgates open.
On the other hand, Rohit's return has been marked by his lack of form and struggle to put runs on the board. The seasoned opener has just 31 runs from five innings, with an average of 6.20.
Rohit has faced criticism over his Test batting since the Bangladesh series. He amassed only 42 runs in two Test matches while averaging just 10.50.
India endured a heavy 184-run defeat in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne against Australia on Monday.
Australia knocked India flat in all facets of the game, even though the game was defined by the finest of margins. After being knocked around the MCG in the first innings, India replied boldly in the second innings.
With a pace attack spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, India had Australia on the ropes after reducing the hosts to 91/6. However, a couple of dropped catches and missed chances gave Australia a window of opportunity to make a strong comeback.
The hopes of restricting Australia to a 250-run lead slowly subdued, especially after Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland muscled away a tired Indian bowling unit on Day 4. The 61-run partnership rubbed salt in India's wounds as Australia set a 340-run target for India to chase down.
The target played on India's minds and nerves, especially after the top order misfired. The first session left its mark and eventually left India with a "disappointing" result, allowing Australia to move to a 2-1 lead in the series.