Justin Langer believes Rohit has dropped “retirement hint” following India’s loss in the 4th test at Melbourne.
Justin Langer saw the India skipper drop a ‘retirement hint’ after the Indian skipper was said to be quite emotional during the Day 5 of the MCG Test.
Following the team’s crushing loss to Australia in the 4th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday, discussions surrounding India captain Rohit Sharma’s possible retirement from Test cricket have heated up. India’s loss in the match makes qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) very challenging. The management finds it challenging to include Rohit in the starting lineup due to his batting form.
Australia great Justin Langer also noticed a ‘unusually emotional’ India captain on Day 5 at MCG, suggesting that Rohit’s time in the longest format is coming to an end. It is suggested that the Sydney Test will be his final one.
According to Langer, Rohit’s uncharacteristically emotional performance on the pitch at MCG on Day 5 of the 4th Test may have been a sign that he was considering leaving the format. The former Australia hitter believes that Rohit is exhausted and that the pressure of the match is wearing him down.
“Rohit Sharma looks very tired to me. I saw him quite emotional on the field yesterday. That’s unusual for us to see Rohit like that. He’s usually so calm, so chilled out. But he was showing his emotions; he looks tired. It’s understandable because as a cricketer, when you’re not making runs, that’s all that stays on your mind. And as captain, if you’re not making runs and your team is not winning, the stress starts to come into the game. Whether he can get up for Sydney, that’s up to him. It’s a big challenge. India need him to get up to speed in Sydney,” Langer said after the end of the game.
Langer, on the other hand, feels differently about Virat Kohli. He believes Virat has everything it takes to get better and still has a few years left to play at the highest level of cricket.
“With Virat, I agree [with Ravi Shastri]. He looked excellent in that first innings. Maybe the run out did ruffle him, but we were surprised to see him get out the way he did. He is still a great player, is in outstanding physical condition. All Indians would be hoping he comes good,” he asserted.