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Rohit Sharma was heard cheekily asking Ravindra Jadeja if the skipper should bowl himself to get wickets.
Rohit Sharma has managed 22 runs from four innings of the ongoing Australia tour so far. (AP Photo)
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) stump mic caught a hilarious chatter between Indian captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, a video of which has now gone viral. Rohit was heard urging Jadeja to accept an aggressive field, and adding that if no one takes the wickets he’d have to take the ball himself.
The incident occurred close to the end of the first innings when the last Australian pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland was at the crease. That stand yielded 19 runs for the hosts as they finished with a massive 474/10 in 122.4 overs in the Boxing Day Test of the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Broadcasters Star Sports uploaded a video of the incident where Rohit can be heard saying: ‘Nahi jaayega yaar… udhar out hojayega. Itna lamba hai udhar yaar. Hume out karne mein dekhna hai usko yaar. Out kaun karega fir, main? Mereko daalna padhega!’ (It won’t go out, man… the boundary is quite long on that side. We have to look to get him out. Who will get him out then, me? I’ll have to bowl then!)
Watch it here:
Apart from a few good moments, India extremely struggled in the first innings. Steven Smith put up a mammoth 140 (197) but more tellingly, bowlers Pat Cummins (49 off 63), Mitchell Starc (15 off 36) and Lyon (13 off 18) were allowed to make substantial contributions. Rohit’s captaincy and India’s planning were found to be wanting and heavily criticized.
The skipper’s day didn’t get much better as he got out for just 3 (5) in the second innings after promoting himself to the top of the order after two Tests. In just the second over, he attempted a half-hearted pull against Pat Cummins and ended up giving a meek edge to mid-wicket.
“That’s just a lazy, not switched on, not up for the moment type of shot,” former Australian captain Ricky Ponting told 7 Cricket at the dismissal. “He’s been known as one of the best hookers and pullers of the ball since he’s made his debut but that’s just not there. It’s nothing. It’s not committed, not really looking to be aggressive, he’s just looking to tap it on the head. Might have held in the wicket yes, it might have seamed away from him a fraction. But if you’re going to survive against this Australian attack, you’ve got to be switched on. You’ve got to be making good decisions. If you’re not, they’ll knock you over every time.”
That took Rohit’s series total to 22 runs from four innings at an average of 5.50.
- Location :
Melbourne, Australia
