Admitting the poor show from the batters against New Zealand is a huge cause of concern, India captain Rohit Sharma opined the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), starting later this month, provides the team with the ‘opportunity to do something special’ in Australia. India’s five-match Test series against Australia in BGT starts on November 22.
Against New Zealand, Indian batters put on a flop show, especially seniors like Virat Kohli and Rohit, managing just one fifty-plus score in six innings, each. Rishabh Pant was the most consistent among the bunch while the likes of Sarfaraz Khan, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal performed in patches.
Speaking after the 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand, Rohit emphasised to look forward. “It’s a cause of concern without a doubt. If the batters are not performing, that is a cause of concern. But what’s done is done now,” he told reports during the post-match press conference.
“I think as a player, as a captain, as a team, we all have to look forward and see how we can correct what we didn’t manage to achieve here. There is a good opportunity for us to go and do something special in Australia,” he added.
Rohit managed just 91 runs across three matches against New Zealand, while Kohli managed a decent score of 70 in the second innings of the first Test against the Kiwis in Bengaluru but failed to make it into double figures in four of his other five hits during the series.
India’s WTC final qualification scenario
With the loss against New Zealand, Rohit’s side suffered a massive blow in their quest for a third consecutive appearance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and now must win at least four matches in Australia to qualify for the one-off Test at Lord’s next year.
India were scheduled to take on India A in a three-day practice match ahead of the first Test in Perth from 22 November, but Rohit confirmed the team have since cancelled that contest in favour of match simulation against the same side that will allow their batters to maximise their time in the middle and get used to the conditions in Australia.
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