India’s recent Test series defeat against New Zealand has sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. For the first time in 12 years, the Indian team has lost a Test series at home, succumbing to the Kiwis in the first two matches of the three-match series.
Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik has been critical of skipper Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in the Pune Test, which India lost by seven wickets. Karthik believes that Sharma was not proactive enough as a captain and failed to match New Zealand’s intensity and clarity.
“Not at his best. I thought he had a very tough Test match, he did all he could. I could see there was a lot of pressure on him, add to the fact, that he did not get many runs as well. So overall, it was not a great Test match. He will reflect and think, ‘what could I have done better? Was I a reactive captain or a pro-active captain?'” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Sharma’s struggles with the bat have also been a concern. He has been among India’s worst performers with the bat in the first two matches.
“There is a fine line, this Test match was one where he was chasing the ball a little bit. He tried his best with whatever he could, but you have to say it wasn’t the best game for either him or Team India,” Karthik added.
After the two losses, Sharma took a rather lighthearted stance in the press conference, saying that the team is allowed such a performance after being on top for the last 12 years.
“We are allowed one such performance in 12 years. If we were collapsing like this on a regular basis then we would not have been winning at home. We have a lot of expectations. We are expected to win every game at our home, and it is because of our performances,” he said.
However, Karthik believes that Sharma needs to be more proactive as a captain and take more responsibility for the team’s performance.
“He needs to be more proactive. He needs to be more clear in his communication. He needs to be more clear in his plans. He needs to be more clear in his execution. He needs to be more clear in his decision-making,” Karthik said.
