India lost its decade-long dominance in the Border Gavaskar Trophy after losing against the Australian side by 3-1 at their home. While bowling was not something India struggled with, it was the lack of consistent in-form batters who failed to perform on the big stage. Top-order players were out of form, and India badly missed the Test greats Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have achieved glory in the past. After the match, India’s coach Gautam Gambhir emphasised that Indian players should focus on domestic cricket, but at the same time, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, who have played a lot of domestic cricket, were not even included in the series. Sanjay Bangar & Deepdas Gupta speaking exclusively to Star Sports, highlighted what Rohit Sharma needs to do to bounce back.
Rohit should play Domestic cricket like Pujara & Rahane
Sanjay Bangar advised Rohit Sharma to play domestic cricket to bounce back from his torn form. “When you are 37, every failure stings because cricketers take pride in their past performances. It weighs on their minds if they can’t replicate them, especially when young players excel. Rohit must decide if he still has a hunger for Test cricket, and that hunger must show in his actions. Players like Pujara and Rahane, who dropped in the past, proved their hunger by playing domestic cricket. Rohit has expressed his desire to continue, saying, ‘I am not going anywhere; I still want to play.’ But this must be backed by domestic performances to regain form.” He said.
Players don’t have the hunger to play
Deep Das Gupta emphasised the importance of hunger and domestic cricket participation. “The real question is whether players still have the hunger. That hunger is crucial. Even one or two domestic games can help assess it. Rohit, barring one poor shot, looked better in his last inning but didn’t score much. After achieving so much, players must show their willingness to sacrifice. The next Test series is in June, and any red-ball cricket in the coming weeks is critical.”
What’s the biggest problem in team selection?
On team selection, Deep Das Gupta pointed out the defensive approach as a key issue.“Team selection reflects the mindset. From the first match, the Indian team appeared defensive with a batting-heavy lineup, including Washington Sundar as a specialist batsman, despite limited bowling contributions. This compromised the bowling depth and led to struggles. A positive mindset brings clarity and better results.”
Unexpected Nitish Kumar Reddy created problems
Sanjay Bangar believes the unexpected century from Nitish Kumar Reddy caused problems for team India, as it became a compulsion to keep him. “The unexpected performance of Nitish Reddy caused confusion. Combining him with Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja led to dilemmas. The management reacted as the series progressed instead of planning proactively. Decisions should have been based on immediate requirements, especially on those pitches, for better combinations.”
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