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Despite entering the series opener against England as favourites, Rohit Sharma and his team faced a setback with a 28-run defeat at the hands of Ben Stokes‘ men in the recently concluded first Test match at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. While Rohit showed promise with excellent starts in both innings, he struggled to capitalize on them.
Rohit Sharma’s struggles in recent matches
In the first innings, Rohit made a rapid start, scoring 24 off 27 balls, but his innings was cut short by Jack Leach. In the second innings, chasing a target of 231, Rohit contributed 39 runs while trying to stabilize the innings after early setbacks. However, he fell victim to left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who picked seven wickets in the innings. Rohit’s struggles continued from the South Africa series, where his highest score was 39 in four innings
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Geoffrey Boycott’s blunt verdict on Rohit Sharma’s form and captaincy
Former England great Geoffrey Boycott, known for his straightforward opinions, remarked in his column for The Telegraph that Rohit seems past his prime. The 83-year-old highlighted Rohit’s recent outings as brief cameos and expressed doubts about his inspirational captaincy. According to Boycott, England have a golden opportunity to secure a Test series victory in India, leveraging the home team’s challenges with missing key players.
“Their captain Rohit Sharma is nearly 37 and past his best. He makes pretty cameos but has only scored two Test hundreds at home in four years. They are also weak in the field. This India team is ripe for the taking, and England have a golden chance to be the first side to topple them on their own patch for 12 years. India badly miss Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja has a hamstring injury and will not play the second Test,” Boycott remarked.
