Yohan Blake, two-time Olympic medalist, has tipped Team India captain Rohit Sharma to focus on his strengths and play his natural game despite the murmurs around him Down Under.
The Indian captain has not breached the 10-run mark in his last five innings in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His captaincy has also come under the radar after India lost the fourth Test at the G by 184 runs, almost costing them a chance to book the World Test Championship final berth with South Africa.
“Excited for this final test match! I believe Rohit should continue playing his game, regardless of what others say. Poor form is inevitable in sports. My suggestion is for Rohit to bat at number 3 or 4. Also, Sharma is truly an exceptional captain,” Blake said on X ahead of the Pink Test in Sydney.
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir denied to comment on the captain’s availability on the eve of the final Test.
Bumrah, the stand-in captain, said that the T20 World Cup winning captain opted to rest, applauding his leadership decision.
“Yeah, the chat was pretty good,” he said. “We’re trying to keep the spirits positive and obviously trying to keep the positives in mind and keep the learnings as well,” Bumrah said at the toss.
“Obviously, our captain (Rohit Sharma) has shown his leadership as well. He’s opted to rest in this game.
“So that shows that there’s a lot of unity in our team. There’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the team’s best interest, we’re looking to do that,” he said.
India currently trail the five-Test series 1-2 against the hosts.