Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Rohit Sharma's dismissal in 1st innings of BGT 2024-25 4th Test ft. MSK Prasad

Rohit Sharma continued his horror form in the red-ball format in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne on Friday (December 27). The Indian captain was dismissed for just 3 off 5 as his half-hearted shot against Pat Cummins saw him get holed out at the mid-on region.

He returned to his preferred opening position for the Melbourne Test, but failed to make an impact. His dismissal piled on the misery on the visitors, who were already under pressure after conceding 474 runs in the first innings.

Following yet another disappointing knock, Rohit was left with only 155 runs in 14 innings at an average of 11.07 in the 2024-25 Test season. Many fans and former cricketers feel it's time for Rohit to pull his socks up, with his Test career and series on the line.

On that note, let's take a look at the top expert reactions to Rohit Sharma's failure in the fourth test in Melbourne.

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#1 Dinesh Karthik

Former Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik shared his thoughts on Rohit Sharma's dismissal in an interaction with Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz. He feels the Indian captain is clearly lacking in confidence and is confused about his approach against Australian bowlers.

"It's a shot that lacks confidence one where there's a lot happening between his ears and hence he is not picking up lengths. Even if he had connected it half decently all he would have managed is probably the ball going to fine leg now," he said.

Further, Karthik opined that Rohit could have avoided his preferred pull shot without full commitment. Karthik added:

"When you're muddled in your thoughts, your goto shot over the years has been a pull shot and you pick up length quickly. Yes, you get into that position, but if you've prepped up your mind leading up to the test because you're opening, this shot is avoidable."

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#2 Parthiv Patel

Former Indian keeper-batter Parthiv Patel felt Rohit Sharma failed to judge the length and was quick to rush on the ball. Here's what he said on Cricbuzz:

"I think he did not read the length properly, the line was also outside the off stump and had to give himself enough time before playing a big shot."

Patel pointed out that Rohit entered the series on the back of a lacklustre performance in the New Zealand series, which had hurt his confidence badly. He feels without spending enough time on the crease, it will be difficult for the 37-year-old to get back into form.

"When you are in form, your thinking is right, your footwork is right, your selection of balls is right. But when you are not in form then you are standing in the middle thinking at what tempo you should bat, so at that time it is very important to give yourself time. However, Rohit is not able to spend enough time on the crease," he added.

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#3 MSK Prasad

Former BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad tore apart Rohit Sharma for his "pathetic" performance in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series. He feels Rohit's form has had a negative impact on the Indian team since his inclusion from the Adelaide test.

During his commentary stint in the ongoing game, Prasad said (via Hindustan Times):

"We raised the topic about Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Heading into this series, we had a three-match series against New Zealand. It was pathetic. Never happened in the history of Indian cricket that we lost back-to-back three games, and Rohit was totally sorted out. He had absolutely no runs in that series. And here, he didn’t play the first game. Bumrah led the side very well. So he comes after the backdrop of continuous failures."

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#4 Mark Waugh

Former Australian batter Mark Waugh expressed his concern about Rohit Sharma's form. He thinks the Indian captain has three more innings left to save his Test career.

"I worry for Rohit Sharma," Waugh said on FOX cricket. "He's got three more innings on this tour and if he doesn't make runs, his career is hanging by a thread."

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#5 Sanjay Manjrekar

Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels Rohit Sharma is caught up between his defensive and attacking approach. As per him, the veteran batter wanted to score runs against anything short, because he was aware of his shortcomings against the fuller balls.

Here's what he said on ESPNcricinfo (via HT):

"You can see he is going through a rough patch and now you start feeling for him."

"The ball that he picked wasn't the right length nor was it the right line because it moved a little and that was a shot that he knew the moment he played it was just completely out of place," he added.