'That Was A Tactical Mistake': Former India Cricketer Points Out Massive Flaw In Rohit Sharma's Plan

Rohit Sharma-led Team India suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday in the second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. India lost the Adelaide Oval Test by 10 wickets as Australia leveled the five-match Test series 1-1. The game marked Rohit Sharma's return to the side as he missed out on the Perth Test due to the birth of his second child. Jasprit Bumrah had captained the Indian team in the first match, which they won by 295 runs.

After the loss, some fans took to social media to demand Rohit Sharma's resignation as captain. However, former India cricketer Atul Wassan believes that Rohit is a good captain and that it's just that he made one tactical mistake that led to the humiliating loss in the second Test.

Atul Wassan points out tactical mistake in Rohit Sharma's plan

Atul Wassan told ANI that Rohit Sharma should have returned as an opener rather than allowing KL Rahul to bat at the top order just because he performed well in the first Test. Wassan said that Rohit has the mindset of an opener, whereas KL Rahul can bat anywhere from the top to the middle order.

"I believe Indian captain Rohit Sharma made a mistake by not opening. He should have opened the match as his mentality is not that of a middle-order batsman. KL Rahul has the type of game where he can bat anywhere. That was a tactical mistake in my opinion. In India, there is a culture where those who have played fewer matches, their opinions don't matter a lot. It's okay, I could be right, I could be wrong but I think Rohit shouldn't carry on with it," he added. 

'Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to perform'

Atul Wassan emphasized that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to perform consistently to retain their spots in the team. The former India cricketer stated that their leverage is diminishing because the expectations of fans are sky-high nowadays.

"I knew the focus would come back to Virat and Rohit. See, their performances were naturally going to dip with age. It is no longer possible for them to do it in every game. The value of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is weight in gold. Their presence in the team creates depth. But they both need to perform. Your past achievements give you some leverage but eventually, you need to perform. The expectations are very high these days. Cricket has an ethos, it has a culture and for that, I think Virat and Rohit must be in the team but I want them to pull their weight," Atul Wassan said.

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