Rohit Sharma doesn't seem to have rectified his mistakes. The Indian captain's poor run with the bat continued in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) with yet another single-digit score in Melbourne in the fourth Test against Australia. The 37-year-old, who scored three in the first innings, played 40 balls for his nine in the second to write an embarrassing record.
At the end of his flop show in Melbourne, Rohit's average stood at just 6.20, which is the lowest ever by a touring captain (at least five innings) in Australia in a Test series. The record was previously held by legendary West Indian bowler Courtney Walsh, who recorded 7.75 during their tour of Australia in 1996-97.
With India chasing 340 runs on the final day to go 2-1 up in the series, Rohit looked to have settled in alongside fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. The right-hander played the waiting game with occasional singles. However, his 40-ball vigil ended when he tried to drive Pat Cummins and got a thick edge to Mitchell Marsh at slips.
Rohit's lean patch in Tests with the bat started in September. He managed just 42 runs in four innings against Bangladesh at home before scoring 91 runs across six innings against New Zealand.
Having missed the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his second child, Rohit returned to Adelaide for the second Test. Although he did try a new position in the second and third Tests by batting at No 6, the picture remained the same. In his last 15 innings in Tests, Rohit averaged 10.93.
Meanwhile, Rohit's poor form has been criticised by former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh. Waugh, who is commentating, opined that had he been a selector, he would have asked Rohit to hang up his boots in red-ball cricket.
"If I was a selector now, it depends what happens in the second innings, but if he doesn't make runs in the second innings and we go to Sydney in a crucial Test match, I'd be saying 'Rohit thank you for your service, you've been a great player, but we're going to bring in Jasprit Bumrah as captain for the SCG and that's the end of your career'," Waugh had said on Sunday.
Catch all theBusiness News, Sports News,Breaking NewsEvents andLatest News Updates on Live Mint. Download TheMint News App to get Daily Market Updates