IND vs AUS 2022: 5 instances when captain Rohit Sharma’s angry avatar has come to the fore

When Rohit Sharma took over as Team India’s full-time captain, he was being compared to “Captain Cool” MS Dhoni. The 35-year-old is the most successful skipper in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), having led the Mumbai Indians (MI) to five titles - one more than Dhoni has won as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain.

Rohit has won a lot of praise from his MI teammates and fans for his composure and friendly nature as a leader. He was expected to bring the same qualities to his captaincy after taking charge of the Indian team. However, that hasn’t quite been the case as the pressure of leading in all three formats is clearly taking a toll. It hasn’t helped that the team has lost a few big games lately.

In the first T20I against Australia in Mohali on Tuesday, September 20, he was again captured in a frustrated state after India missed out on taking a DRS that could have got them the key wicket of Cameron Green.

In this feature, we look at five instances where captain Rohit has lost his cool.

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#1 Rohit's yell after Arshdeep's dropped catch

Rohit Sharma reacts after Arshdeep Singh drops a catch during the Asia Cup.

The Super 4 match between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup went down to the wire. During the closing stages, young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh dropped a simple catch offered by Asif Ali off Ravi Bishnoi’s bowling.

Knowing the importance of the wicket, the Indian captain was captured seething as the chance went down.

Asif Ali went on to smash two fours and a six, which went a long way in shifting the momentum of the match.

Arshdeep did trap the batter lbw in the last over, but it was too late as Pakistan went on to clinch the thriller by five wickets and with one ball to spare.

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#2 When Rohit kicked a ball in frustration

The Indian captain kicks the ball after a dropped catch. Pic: BCCI

During the second T20I against West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in February, India survived a shoddy fielding performance to clinch the match by eight runs.

After a couple of catches went down, though, Rohit began losing some patience. In the 16th over of West Indies’ chase, Rovman Powell miscued a short ball off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which went up in the air.

The bowler hoped the keeper, Rishabh Pant, would go for it. But eventually, he himself had to try to complete the catch. His attempt failed as the ball popped out of his hands.

To make matters worse for India, Rohit kicked the ball in anger and conceded an extra run. The Men in Blue hung on to win the game, but the Indian skipper drew some flak for his behavior.

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#3 When Rohit scolded Pant

Rishabh Pant’s cheeky side has not always impressed his captain.

Pant has a habit of getting cheeky on the cricket field. But one such attempt invited the wrath of the captain. In the fourth T20I in Florida in August during the tour of West Indies, the keeper-batter impressed with 44 off 31 as India batted first. However, during his keeping sting, Pant got scolded by his skipper.

During West Indies’ chase of 192, there was a huge mix-up between Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers in the fifth over. Pooran drove a delivery from Axar Patel towards cover-point and set off, but was stranded as his partner did not respond.

Sanju Samson quickly threw the ball to Pant. Instead of flicking off the bails, the keeper waited, knowing there was no way the batter could return to the crease.

Rohit was not too impressed with Pant’s tactics and was seen yelling at him. He instructed the keeper to effect the run out without wasting time.

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#4 When Rohit scolded Pant, again

Rohit Sharma questions Rishabh Pant’s shot selection.

During the Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 match against Pakistan, Team India got off to a good start before losing their way. Keeper-batter Pant was one of the culprits, playing a premeditated reverse sweep off leg-spinner Shadab Khan. He failed to get any timing on the ball and offered a simple catch. He was dismissed for 14 off 12.

As he returned to the dressing room, Rohit was seen seeking an explanation from Pant for the poor stroke. Pant tried to put forward his point, but the Indian captain seemed rather disappointed.

Team India posted 181 for seven batting first, but went on to lose the game by five wickets.

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#5 When Rohit showed dissent at the umpire

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma. Pic: Getty Images

Lately, with the team not performing, Rohit seems to be losing his cool in the IPL as well. In the 2021 edition, during a match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), the MI skipper was erroneously given caught behind by the umpire.

This happened in the very first over of the match bowled by Moises Henriques.

Rohit immediately went for a review and got the decision overturned. However, as he wanted down to chat with his partner Quinton de Kock, he clearly looked irked.

The opening batter stared at the umpire and even made a gesture with his hands, pointing towards the official. Rohit went on to make 63, but the effort was in vain as PBKS won the game by nine wickets.

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