Dinesh Karthik advices 'attacking' Rohit Sharma to trust his technique post failures
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik offered his word of advice to Rohit Sharma after his failures with the bat in the recently concluded Test series vs New Zealand. Rohit had a forgetful series both as a batter and as a captain as New Zealand clean-swept India 3-0 at their own home soil. Rohit couldn’t contribute much with the bat as he managed just 91 runs in six innings with a poor average of 15.16 which included a solitary fifty in the 1st Test match. While Karthik acknowledged Rohit’s intent and his ability to attack, he wanted the India captain to trust his technique as well in the process.
“So, the one thing that Rohit Sharma is not doing, which he did very well when he took up his role as an opener, is trust his technique. Yes, attack is an option. But that will only come better if you trust your technique. Because you are worried you might get out defending or playing a soft shot, you are trying to attack. Then, that is fraught with risk. Because if it doesn’t come off, it looks silly,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Rohit’s forgetful home Test season
Rohit took full responsibility for his batting failure as well as India’s Test series loss at home soil after 12 years. Karthik said that Rohit, always being the promoter of intent in Test batting is getting him into a safe space.
“In Test cricket, what I feel is that intent is getting him into a safe space where he feels when in trouble, use that. It’s not a method where he’s using it like he’s using it in white ball cricket, one that Indian team needed. Here, a lot of times, when he is beaten a couple of times, when he is put under a little bit of pressure, an immediate instinct is to play an attacking shot fraught with risk. Now, with that comes the ability to get out as well,” he added.
“Rohit feels more comfortable attacking”
Karthik further pointed out that Rohit has always resorted to attack but that won’t reap him rewards always.
“I think his safe space right now, in Rohit Sharma’s case, is to attack. Then in that, he feels he is a lot more comfortable doing because he’s seen that success. But when it doesn’t go right, it always will give the image that it has given so far.”
In India’s home Test series, in 10 innings, Rohit averaged just 13.30 and managed 133 runs with a single fifty-plus score.
