IND vs AUS 4th Test: Rohit Sharma faces criticism for dropping Shubman Gill, captaincy choices?on Day 1 of?Boxing?Day
Rohit Sharma faces backlash in the 4th Test as fans question his decision to drop Shubman Gill and his on-field tactics. Australia dominates with strong partnerships, putting India on the brink of a World Test Championship exit.
It seems the Test series Down Under is not going according to plan for Indian captain Rohit Sharma. While in his absence, Jasprit Bumrah led the Men in Blue to victory against Australia in Perth in the first clash of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, things have taken a drastic turn since the skipper rejoined the squad.
After losing in Adelaide by 10 wickets, the Indian side somehow managed to draw the game at the Gabba¡ªthanks in part to persistent rain. However, in the 4th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), things once again seem to be slipping away from Rohit Sharma, and fans have taken notice.
Rohit Sharma faces criticism:
The controversy began at the toss. After losing it and being asked to bowl first, Rohit announced that the team had made one change¡ªShubman Gill was out, and Washington Sundar was in. While adding Sundar to the squad was widely regarded as a good move, dropping Gill raised eyebrows.
Although not in his best form, Gill had still been relatively consistent with the bat. Fans could not believe Rohit would remove Gill just so he could bat higher up the order. Many took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to question this decision, with some even calling him "selfish."
Selfish Captain Rohit Sharma 38 Year old litrally replaced Gill 25 Year old who is future of India just Because he wanted to bat in the top order no words man. ? ?#INDvsAUS #BoxingDayTest #ViratKohli #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/Pe4PK539QX
¡ª ARPIT? (@ImArpit_18) December 26, 2024
In last 3 test Innings
¡ª Tarun (@Tarun113344) December 26, 2024
Shubman gill:- 60
Rishabh pant:- 58
Yashasvi Jaiswal :- 32
Virat kohli. :- 21
Rohit sharma:- 19
Many poor performers, yet only Gill was dropped from the playing XI
( why ?) pic.twitter.com/W5qgXbe1OQ
Usually Youngsters are given longer rope especially OS while Oldies kept under check.
¡ª StrangelyAmusing (@Weirdgripping84) December 26, 2024
But ROHIT selfish SHARMA, dropped 2nd best test batsman for India in last 1 yr just on the basis of 2-3 innings. So that he could play.
Pant you better start scoring now.#AUSvIND
Rohit Sharma's captaincy moves questioned:
In addition to the selection decision, cricket fans questioned Rohit's tactics on the field as well. The team allowed Aussie debutant Sam Konstas to smash 60 off 65 balls, including six fours and two sixes.
As the second session is in progress, the Indian side is still searching for wickets, allowing even the out-of-form Usman Khawaja to score a half-century. Khawaja formed a strong partnership with Marnus Labuschagne, with the duo regularly rotating the strike.
Came back just to say that Rohit Sharma is clueless as a Test captain.
¡ª Aaradhya (@Aaradhya_2003) December 26, 2024
Watch cricket on your own risk, this shit plays with your mind. #INDvsAUS
Match after match captaincy of Rohit Sharma is going from bad to worse.#INDvAUS #BoxingDayTest
¡ª Ritushree ? (@QueerNaari) December 26, 2024
Terrible start for India on a bowler friendly pitch. With Rohit Sharma still in the playing XI, low hopes of pulling this off #MCG #INDvsAUS #INDvAUS #AUSvIND #AusvsIndia #Bumrah #Jaspritbumrah? #RohitSharma #ViratKohli #siraj
¡ª GP (@GP_freespeech) December 26, 2024
At the time of writing, the hosts had scored 140 runs, losing just one wicket in 39 overs. Australia seems well on its way to winning this clash, potentially putting India out of the World Test Championship (WTC) race.
IND vs AUS: Squads
Australia (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
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Karen Noronha is a versatile journalist with a passion for sports and K-pop. With over 7 years of experience at publications like IBTimes UK, DNA, and OTTPlay/DesiMartini, she seamlessly transitions between covering global athletic events and the dynamic world of K-pop.
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