Rohit Sharma refuses to criticise his players publicly after Test series loss: 'I don't think this is the right forum'

India captain Rohit Sharma refused to “overreact” over the first Test series loss at home since 2012 but said that he will have a “chat with certain individuals” to make them realise “where they are at” and what the team needs from them. India suffered their first Test series loss in 12 years on Saturday as New Zealand won the second Test in Pune by 113 runs . The Kiwis had won the first Test in Bengaluru by 8 wickets.

“You don’t need to overreact. But you need to have a quiet chat with certain individuals and let them know where they are at and what, as a team, we require from them,” Rohit said in the post-match press meet.

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Rohit refuses to rebuke his players

Rohit added that he would want to do it quietly and not make an example out of it.

“I don’t think you need to make them sit in a team room on a one-on-one basis and go through their innings and tell them this is what you should be doing. I don’t think this is the right forum to do that.

“Just because we have lost a series, I don’t think there is anything that we need to talk differently or do differently. But yeah, we need to find ways to come out of those situations,” said Rohit.

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Rohit, however, also added that India don’t have a lot of postmortem to do as he trusts the experienced players and their abilities.

“I do not doubt anyone’s ability. I won’t do much postmortem of this, but batters must come with their plans and trust on the plans like New Zealand batters showed.”

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Rohit could only score eight runs in the Pune Test and has been out of form for a while, while Virat Kohli made just 18 runs. Senior spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been also quite ineffective in both matches so far, taking 12 wickets together in two Test matches.

Rohit talks about giving support to players

With India to soon play Australia for a five-match Test series, Rohit feels that a measured approach is needed.

“This is not how we want to play the cricket. But, again, it’s important that when we (the current lot of seniors) were in the place of having played only five or six Test matches, all we wanted was the support from the team, the captain, the coach and the management.

“That is what I’m going to try and do with a lot of guys who haven’t been to Australia or playing their first or second Test matches. So, clear messages, keeping them nice and calm, making them feel that they belong here. That is our responsibility,” he explained.

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Rohit added that as a captain he doesn’t want to create a team environment where players start doubting themselves.

“Of course, it (series defeat) is important to look at. But not react so much where the guys who are within the team start feeling that something different is happening.

“I don’t want to create that kind of environment where people start doubting themselves, people start taking unnecessary pressure,” he said.

The third and final India-New Zealand Test will be played from 1 November in Mumbai.