 "Amid limited resources, Rohit Sharma’s captaincy leaves much room for improvement")
One of the many admirable traits about Rohit Sharma’s captaincy is his proactiveness, his propensity to not allow the game to drift, his ability to make something out of nothing. Rohit’s only been India’s captain for a little over two and a half years across all three formats but in that period, he has established himself as an astute reader of the game who can think on his feet and conjure up a mini miracle when all seems lost.
It’s these qualities that allowed him to take India to the T20 World Cup title in the Americas this summer, and to the final of the 50-over World Cup in India last year. They also helped him overturn 0-1 deficits in Test cricket in South Africa and against England at home at the beginning of this year – the former series ended 1-1 while India surged to a 4-1 triumph in the latter – though his book was hugely blotted by the unprecedented 0-3 reversal at home against New Zealand in October-November.
Lack of resources forces India to be defensive
Rohit’s nous was severely tested on a blustery Saturday at the Adelaide Oval , and even given that there were mitigating circumstances, he didn’t quite ace the test. Australia had made such rapid strides on day one of the pink-ball Test that India needed something special to make their way back into the contest. However, they didn’t quite have the abundant resources required to stage the kind of fightback that was essential, so Rohit had to perforce fall back on the defensive when the game appeared to be getting away from his side.
The second afternoon began with Australia on 86 for one in reply to India’s 180 all out, definitely 90 to 100 short of par for the course, at the very least. Australia had already batted out 33 overs, which meant against an ageing, softening pink ball with two set batters in the middle, they had the great chance to bat their opponents out of the match. India’s hopes rested primarily on Jasprit Bumrah and, to a lesser extent, Mohammed Siraj. Whatever else they got out of their bowling attack would be a bonus, and more so considering there wasn’t much purchase for R Ashwin, preferred to Washington Sundar because of his more celebrated wicket-taking skills .
For a while when play got underway, Bumrah threatened to do what he has done so often in his seven-year Test career. In a four-over first spell, he accounted for Nathan McSweeney, the opener, and Steve Smith, a perennial thorn in India’s side. But Bumrah had already bowled 11 overs on Friday evening and by the time he was taken off – the temptation to bowl him for at least another over might have been overwhelming, but Rohit had to think about the series in its entirety, not just eye short-term gains – he had sent down 15 of the 41 overs India had bowled.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThis series has largely been about Bumrah , headlined by eight wickets and the Player of the Match award in his team’s victory in Perth. Siraj was an adequate foil in the west and it was no different this time too as he wheeled away without any luck. Showing great heart and desire and unflagging stamina, the Hyderabadi pulled off seven overs on the bounce, going past the outside edge times without number but finding no joy when it came to the wickets column. None for 18 from their exceptional seven overs did him no justice; the rewards would come later in the innings but by then, too much damage had been done, especially once Travis Head got on the bike and sped away .
India’s challenge was always going to be how the two other seamers, both in their second Test, would shape up once Bumrah and Siraj were off the firing line. The pronounced life on a day-one surface at the Optus Stadium and the luxury of a mountain of runs in the second innings when Australia were chasing 534 for victory didn’t quite pose the same challenge to Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy as a good batting deck and a ball rapidly getting older did on Saturday. Harshit made a passable start but went to pieces in his subsequent spells, playing into the aggressive Head’s hands by bowling too short and far too wide. Head is a destroyer of anything in that vicinity; strong of both feet on the off-side, he peppered the boundary boards with stunning regularity with Rana suffering most at his hands. Eight of Head’s 19 fours came off the rookie quick from Delhi.
It’s not as if Rohit did not offer him protection, but such was the constancy with which Rana erred in both length and direction that Head could easily avoid the sweeper on the off-side boundary, which further compelled Rohit to go on the defensive.
Rohit needs to use resources much better
The brilliance and incisiveness of Bumrah in the first innings in Perth had helped tide over the inexperience in the support cast to him and Siraj, but that stood a lot more exposed in better batting conditions against a marauding Head in particular at the Oval on Saturday. Ashwin was used more in a holding role so that he could knot one end up and allow the quicks to attack from the other. The offie was adequate in that regard though Head occasionally took the fight to him. But caught between going flat out with Bumrah and Siraj and mindful of managing their workload with the third Test coming almost on the heels of the second, Rohit was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Could he have used Nitish for more than just six overs? Hindsight would suggest so, because the Andhra lad does boast 57 first-class wickets and two five-wicket hauls with a best of five for 53. But was that a huge tactical mistake on Rohit’s part? Hardly so. Nitish has been picked perhaps as much for his batting at No. 7 and No. 8 than his brisk medium-pace, a bit like what Mitchell Marsh is for Australia. The difference is that Australia have an excellent third seamer – Scott Boland now, in Josh Hazlewood’s injury-enforced absence. Perhaps Rohit’s task would have been made easier if Mohammed Shami had been available to link up with Bumrah and Siraj, but Shami was hardly spoken of in the Perth Test when the same Indian pace attack ran rings around Australia in the first innings.
Australia’s first innings in Adelaide would have been an eye-opener of sorts for Rohit. Especially when the conditions are good for batting, he will need better plans – and better execution from his bowlers. Test cricket can be the worst learning ground, as Rana is fast finding out. But it’s in the optimal utilisation of resources that the true ability of a captain shines through. Rohit was somewhat below par in that regard on Saturday, much like India’s first-innings score. Course correction is mandatory going forward, even if making a spot judgement on a single day’s developments might appear unfair.
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