Rohit Sharma reflects on India's loss in Adelaide, prepares for Brisbane

Travis Head’s scintillating century at home, accompanied by brilliant bowling peformances from Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins led Australia to a 10-wicket win at the Adelaide Oval. The victory also ensured Australia reclaimed their place atop the WTC25 standings.

India captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged that his team underperformed, failing to replicate their success from the opening Test in Perth. He praised Australia for capitalizing on their chances and emphasized the importance of bouncing back in the third Test at the Gabba.

“A disappointing week for us, we didn't play well, and Australia played better cricket than us and won the Test match. We failed to grab our opportunities,” Rohit remarked.

“We didn’t bat well enough, probably 30-40 runs short with the bat in the first innings. There were opportunities when Australia were batting and we failed to take those chances. When you miss those chances, it’s never easy.”

Speaking about the challenges that the pink ball posed in the Test, Rohit said: "You know when you come to Australia, you have to play a pink-ball Test. You have to be mentally ready to bat under different conditions. It can be difficult but that cannot be an excuse.

“The conditions are for both teams, they batted well and got the runs. We didn’t bat well enough to get enough runs.”

Shedding light on the next Test in Brisbane, Rohit offered a tone of positivity and referred to the team’s past success at the venue. India have dropped to third in the WTC standings and the Gabba will be the perfect place to turn the tide back in India's favour, considering their success at the venue last time out.

“We are looking forward to it (Gabba Test). Some really good memories there. We want to start well and play well. There's not much time in between as well. You know we just want to go out there and think about what we did right, you know in Perth and also what we did last time when we were here.”

The last time India played a Test at the Gabba, Rishabh Pant’s warrior-esque unbeaten 89* to chase down 328 handed Australia their first loss at the stadium since 1988, and also a 2-1 series win for the visitors.

Rohit also highlighted Jasprit Bumrah’s efforts, praising his spell but acknowledged the need for other bowlers to step up.

“Bumrah will not get wickets at times, and the other guys need to step in. That’s how we talk in the batting group as well, ‘x, y, z’ would not be scoring runs all the time. Everyone in the team understands that.”

“It’s just not about one individual or two; if you want to win a Test or a series, everyone has to share the responsibility, put their hand up, and get the job done. That’s something I have always seen in this team,” he said, referring to Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy and others who are still finding their footing at the Test level.

While Bumrah and Siraj scalped four each in the first innings, Rana and Reddy, playing in just their second Test, combined for 22 overs and grabbed only one wicket.

Rohit further stressed his role in instilling confidence in these youngsters who are new to the international stage. “They need confidence, and it’s my job to provide it. When they play a match, they must feel assured."

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Bumrah took charge of the ball for 23 overs in the first innings in Adelaide and returned figures of 4-61. Rohit, who took over captaincy from the pacer following the win in Perth in the first Test, addressed workload management for Bumrah, emphasizing the need for strategic planning to keep him fresh for the entire five-match Test series.

“I keep talking to him (Bumrah) during his spells, asking how his body is holding up. It’s a five-Test series, and we want Bumrah to be fresh and play all five matches. It’s important to analyse these things; workload management is crucial.”

“Planning always happens. You can’t expect Bumrah to bowl from both ends, from morning to evening. It’s important to manage the bowlers. We talk to them and then make decisions.”

On Mohammed Shami’s potential inclusion, Sharma left the door open but maintained that the bowler’s fitness remains the top priority.

Shami, who was sidelined with an Achilles injury since November 2023, returned to domestic cricket last month, where he picked up match figures of 7-156 in his first game back in the Ranji Trophy and is a part of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well.

“Definitely that door is very much open but we're just monitoring him because while playing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he again got some swelling in his knee, which obviously hampers his preparation to come and play a Test match.”

“We want to be very, very careful, we don't want to bring him here in a situation where we play him and then he pulls up or something happens. We want to be more than a hundred percent sure with him because it's been such a long time that he's not played. We don't want to put pressure on him to come here and do the job for the team.

“So there are some professionals who are monitoring, they are there with him and we will take the call based on you know what they say. We just have to be very, very careful, but, like I said, that door is very much open for him to come and play."

Rohit also defended Mohammed Siraj’s on-field aggression with Travis Head, describing it as a motivator while underlining the importance of respecting the game’s spirit.

Siraj was criticised for his actions following the dismissal of the left-hand batter, who was castled by a ripper from the pacer that saw the end of his 140-run knock.

“There's a thin line between being aggressive and crossing the limit. As captain, it's my responsibility to ensure we don't cross that line. A word or two here and there doesn't make a huge difference.”

“He [Siraj] likes to get into the battle. It gives him success. As the captain, it's my job to back that aggression. Obviously, there's a fine line-we don't want to cross anything that disrespects the game. In the past, we've seen many cricketers thrive in such battles, and Siraj is definitely one of them.”

The series stands tied at 1-1 and the two sides will now head to Brisbane for the third Test, scheduled to start from Saturday, 14 December.