Cheteshwar Pujara’s Candid Views on Rohit Sharma’s Persistent Batting Struggles

Rohit Sharma’s poor performance continued at the Gabba after a similarly disappointing showing in the day-night Test in Adelaide, where he scored just 9 runs. His struggles began during the home series against New Zealand and Bangladesh, raising questions about his form and place in the Indian cricket team.

Rohit Sharma scored a disappointing 42 runs in four innings against Bangladesh and 91 runs in six innings against New Zealand. His struggles persisted after joining Team India in Australia, missing the first Test, raising concerns about his ability to lead with the bat under pressure.

Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara claimed that Rohit Sharma is getting opportunities in the playing XI solely because he is the captain, despite a series of poor batting scores. Pujara highlighted the scrutiny on Rohit’s Performances and hoped for a turnaround in his form to improve his leadership on the field. He said:

Yes, we can say this because of the kind of form he is going through. As a captain, Rohit is under pressure. We would all love to see him back in form and scoring runs as soon as possible, and if that happens, his captaincy would also improve.

It takes guts to answer such questions honestly but it's good to see that there was no hesitation from Cheteshwar when he was asked about if Rohit is playing on captaincy quota pic.twitter.com/9kysmXZ5Ip

— Pallavi (@Pallavi_paul21) December 17, 2024

Pujara acknowledged the pressure Rohit Sharma is facing, suggesting that his captaincy role may be protecting him from being dropped. He also hinted that India is hoping Rohit can regain his batting form, despite his prolonged slump being a major concern for the team.