Post India’s defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Star Sports experts and former India players Sanjay Bangar and Deep Das Gupta shared their thoughts on what went wrong for the Indian team, with particular emphasis on Rohit Sharma, and team selection. Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, former India coach Sanjay Bangar shared his insights on what could ignite Rohit Sharma’s hunger and help him bounce back stronger. He said, “When you are 37 years old, every failure hurts because a cricketer is a very proud person. When he sees the kind of performances he’s had in the past but can’t replicate them, and when young players are performing well, these factors weigh heavily on his mind. This might have influenced his decision. He needs to determine whether he still has the hunger to play Test cricket. If he does, that hunger must reflect in his actions.
There’s been a lot of talk about playing domestic cricket. Players like Pujara and Rahane, who are on par with Rohit Sharma in stature, have been dropped in the past but have shown their hunger by playing in domestic cricket. Even today, they are sweating it out in domestic grounds, which are a big drop from the intensity of international cricket. Rohit has expressed his desire to continue playing for India and has said,” I am not going anywhere; I still want to play.’ If he follows through and performs in domestic cricket, no one can stop him. But that form and hunger must be evident.”
On a similar note, former India wicketkeeper Deep Das Gupta added, “The biggest question for me is whether they are still hungry. That hunger is crucial. At least one or two domestic games are important to assess this hunger. Class is not in question. Speaking of Rohit—excluding Virat—the way he batted, apart from that one poor shot across the line, he looked slightly better in his last innings, even though he didn’t score much. The hunger and willingness to sacrifice are key at this stage, after achieving so much individually and as a captain. The next Test series isn’t until June. Until then, there’s no domestic or red-ball cricket. Whatever red-ball cricket is available now—in the next two weeks—is critical.”
Deep Das Gupta also shared his perspective on what went wrong with India’s team combination, “When you select a team, it reflects your mindset. And I felt that from the first test match, that the Indian team went with a defensive mindset, evident from the batting-heavy combination up to No. 8, including Washington Sundar as a specialist batsman despite the limited overs he bowled. This approach compromised bowling depth to bolster the batting lineup. That defensive mindset was the biggest reason for the team’s struggles. A positive mindset leads to clarity, and everything else aligns naturally.”
Sanjay Bangar added to this analysis, stating, “Nitish Reddy’s unexpected performance put the team in a dilemma. The combination of Nitish Reddy with Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja created confusion. When there is an in-form player, it’s hard to drop him. The team management seemed to react as the series progressed rather than being proactive. On those pitches, decisions should have been made based on the immediate requirements. A more proactive approach could have resulted in better team combinations.”
(With Inputs from Press Release)