Ravi Shastri exposes Rohit Sharma’s ‘fake’ body language post-NZ series defeat

The Indian cricket team suffered a humiliating defeat against New Zealand in the ongoing three-match Test series, which was their first Test series loss at home after 12 years. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team fell short by 113 runs in the second Test held in Pune, ending their astounding 18-series winning streak on home soil in the format.

Following the Test series loss to New Zealand, Rohit Sharma’s captaincy has been heavily criticized by the cricket experts, but the former India head coach Ravi Shastri has emphasized that the captain and his team will not take this loss lightly at all.

Rohit Sharma under fire as India suffers humiliating defeat to New Zealand

Critics have been quick to target Rohit’s captaincy, which was deemed overly defensive during the Pune Test against the Kiwis. Dinesh Karthik and Ian Smith highlighted how Rohit allowed the New Zealand batters to easily rotate the strike, raising questions about his strategic decisions.

With New Zealand cricket now leading the ongoing three-match Test series 2-0, the Indian cricket team faces the ugly prospect of a complete whitewash when they face the tourists in the third and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma's disappointment was visible after India faced defeat in the Pune Test. Despite his outwardly relaxed demeanor, Ravi Shastri insisted that the Test series loss has deeply affected Rohit and the entire Indian dressing room. Shastri also stressed that Rohit is a proud cricketer, but he will be feeling the weight of this defeat more than anyone realizes.

He’ll be hurting and hurting big: Ravi Shastri on Rohit Sharma

Ravi Shastri said on-air: “Rohit Sharma is a proud man. He will not take it lightly. Let me assure you of that. His body language might suggest that he’s very relaxed. But deep down, he’ll be hurting and hurting big. Not just with him but with every Indian player in that dressing room.”

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has struggled with the bat during the ongoing New Zealand Test series, managing scores of 0 and 8 in the Pune Test. Apart from his form, the India captain’s on-field tactics have also faced scrutiny, with Dinesh Karthik pointing out that Rohit did not perform well in the match.

He noted that Rohit was under pressure, which was worsened by his low run tally. Karthik also mentioned that it was not an ideal test for Rohit or the Indian team, suggesting he would need to reflect on his decisions and consider whether he was being reactive or proactive as a captain.

Dinesh Karthik questions Rohit Sharma’s captaincy after India's rare Test series defeat

Dinesh Karthik said, “Not at his best. I thought he had a very tough Test match; he did all he could. I could see there was a lot of pressure on him, adding to the fact that he did not get many runs as well. So overall, it was not a great test match. He will reflect and think, ‘What could I have done better? Was I a reactive captain or a pro-active captain?

There is a fine line; this Test match was one where he was chasing the ball a little bit. He tried his best with whatever he could, but you have to say it wasn’t the best game for either him or Team India.”