‘Not the only one struggling…’ ,Rohit Sharma’s childhood coach takes aim at Virat Kohli

New Delhi: India’s captain Rohit Sharma‘s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, has recommended that the opening batter play a few domestic matches to regain form ahead of future Test series. Rohit had a disappointing performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India lost the five-match series 3-1 and failed to secure a spot in the World Test Championship final. Rohit, who missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child, struggled with the bat, managing only 31 runs across five innings before opting out of the fifth Test at Sydney, facing criticism for his poor form.

Moreover, former cricketers and media outlets also questioned Rohit Sharma’s leadership skills, as his performance and tactical decisions led to India missing out on a chance to secure another ICC title in red-ball cricket.

Dinesh Lad emphasized that after India’s T20 World Cup victory last year, Rohit Sharma‘s focus shifted to winning the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. However, following India’s disappointing series loss in Australia, Lad suggested that Rohit should prioritize playing domestic cricket to regain form before making a Test return.

Dinesh Lad shared his thoughts, saying, “Rohit has two primary goals — winning the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. He could’ve retired from all formats after the T20 World Cup victory but chose only to retire from T20 cricket. He’s not the only one struggling for runs, and he should play one or two domestic games to prepare for Test cricket,” Lad told IANS.

“Due to T20 cricket, the mindset of batters has changed. Rohit is technically sound, and against England last year, he was scoring well. When we win, people call him the best captain, but when we lose, they criticize his captaincy,” said Dinesh Lad, the Dronacharya awardee.

Following his recent struggles in Test cricket, Rohit Sharma will next focus on the white-ball challenge against England, preparing for the upcoming Champions Trophy. India will host England for five T20Is and three ODIs starting on January 22.