Former Australia captain Michael Clarke says India skipper Rohit Sharma has earned the right to walk away from Test cricket on his own terms despite his barren career with the bat Down Under. The pressure is gradually mounting on Rohit who has yet to play a significant knock in the three Tests he has played so far in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Another stalwart in the squad, Virat Kohli, is also facing heat for his repeated falls on balls outside off-stump in the series. “As you see with a number of players, for some people the captaincy helps, for others it doesn’t. I certainly think he will play in Sydney. I don’t think they will drop him. I think Rohit has earned the reward,” Clarke told ESPN ahead of the fifth Test, which begins on Friday. “The right is the captain. When you are captain you get a little bit more leeway as well.” “But those numbers are not good. But they will allow Rohit to go out on his own terms. I have no idea if Sydney will be his last Test. “I’m not sure what he’s thinking, or what India are going to do.” Test cricket wise.
“I’m not sure how Rohit feels about leadership, he’s just had his second child, so who knows what’s going to happen there, but I imagine he’ll definitely play in Sydney,” he added.
Rohit averages 30.58 as captain but before that he scored at 46.87.
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch also weighed in.
“The worrying thing for me is how well they played under Bumrah in Perth (in the first Test) and they’ve come back here and the line-up seems to be unsettled since Rohit came back. But he’s still a fantastic player, he’s a lovely player,” Finch said. “He’s a player to watch and hopefully he gets some runs.”
Reddy is a genius, should hit six
Clarke also feels Nitish Kumar Reddy should bat higher up the order after smashing a hundred at No. 8 at the MCG.
“Reddy, that young lad at No. 8, is a genius. I think he should definitely be batting seven if not six. He was India’s leading run-scorer, at 21, which is unbelievable. He was underrated the whole series,” Clarke told the Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast.
“He impressed everyone. He didn’t fear any Australian bowler. He was patient when he needed to be patient. He batted with his tail very well. He showed his intent. He bats and plays and plays. This guy is a very good find for the Indian cricket team.
“I think he’s good enough to bat at number six. So what a great option for India in the last Test match,” Clarke added.
