So the question was asked: Is Rohit okay?
Gambhir replied, “Everything is fine with Rohit,” but did not confirm whether the India captain would be part of the playing eleven on Friday. “We will look at the wicket and finalize it tomorrow.”
And this is where it all started.
Rohit is struggling for form. He averages 10.93 in his last nine Test matches and only 6.2 in this series. He was late for India’s training on Thursday. Technically it was an optional session so it wouldn’t be right to read too much into it but everyone was there.
Shubman Gill, who was dropped for the MCG Test, was among the first group of batsmen in the SCG nets. Dhruv Jurel, who has not played since the first Test in Perth, was also one of them; This was one of the few occasions when he worked with first-XI players. Jasprit Bumrah came out of the door leading to the members’ pavilion and went straight to Gambhir for a short chat.
Still there was no trace of Rohit in the nets. He was playing a game of foot-volleyball in the main field and then disappeared. It was only after the other players had batted for an hour that Rohit came out to join them, sans kit and just a sweatshirt and shorts. He went down to where team analyst Hari was standing. Then Bumrah connected both. This happened in MCG also. Rohit took his time going to the outdoor nets and spent a long session facing only throwdowns. The only difference was that he had also participated in the press conference in Melbourne.
At the SCG, he faced fielding coach T Dilip and throw-down specialist Daya with light sidearm shots for 40 minutes. The other frontline batsmen had completed their tenure by this time. Rohit was batting with Tanush Kotian and Abhimanyu Easwaran. There were moments when he looked good, for example a pull shot off the front foot, there were moments when he was having fun, smiling from ear to ear as he apologized for an awkward throw on the pitch. And at a moment when he batted like he was in no form, he gave up one that uprooted his off stump.
At the end of the Brisbane Test, Rohit admitted that even though he was not batting well, he was still ticking all the boxes he needed to.
“As long as my mind, my body, my legs are moving well, I am quite happy with how things are progressing for me,” Rohit had said two weeks ago. “Sometimes these numbers can tell you it’s been a while since he’s scored big. But for a guy like me, I think it all depends on how I feel in my mind “
In Melbourne, he looked to be in form, or at least more confident in his defence, as he faced a period of bowling which Pat Cummins said was perfect from his side. Australia hunted his outside edge, denying him for the first hour, but then got his first breakthrough when he played a risky flick shot which ended up in the hands of the gully fielder.
“Even as a batsman, a lot of the things I’m trying to do are not falling in the place I want them to,” Rohit said after India went down 2-1 in the series. “But mentally, it’s undoubtedly upsetting.” Reports emerged in the media that Rohit was already thinking of retiring at the end of the Sydney Test, which raised the question that if he was thinking that way, couldn’t he retire now while the series is still underway? Still alive?
India rarely reveal their XI on the eve of a Test match but it was strange that Gambhir refused to confirm whether Rohit would be a part of it or not. Doesn’t the captain come straight in? Isn’t he the one who decides who plays, and not the other way around? The new year has started with a lot of excitement for India.
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
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