Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s recent comments on Test cricket were not directed at any specific player. Aakash Chopra emphasized that Rohit Sharma stated that there is no lack of desire among the players to play Tests.
The Indian team defeated England by five wickets in the fourth Test of the five-match series in Ranchi. The home team took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing series. Rohit Sharma became the first captain to win a series against England in the ‘Bazball’ era.
In the post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma spoke about the need to be hungry for success in Test cricket. Sharma praised young players such as Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep, Sarfaraz Khan and Shubman Gill for stepping up in the absence of senior players.
Rohit Sharma Wasn’t Hitting Anyone – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, akash chopra discussed comments made by Rohit Sharma. He highlighted Rohit Sharma’s comments on the challenges of Test cricket and the importance of discipline and dedication for success.
“Rohit Sharma has said that this is the toughest format and if you have to succeed in it, you need a lot of discipline and dedication. He also said that it is obvious if someone does not have that hunger, but he was not implying to anyone.” Chopra said.
“If you listen to all his bite until the end, he also said that there is no one inside or outside the playing group who is saying they don’t want to play. So he wasn’t shooting anyone.” he added.
Rohit’s statement about Test cricket sparked speculation on social media, with some fans interpreting it as criticism directed at wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, who has not participated in red-ball cricket recently after opting out of the test series against South Africa.
The English media becomes hyperactive – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra criticized the English media’s inclination to attribute everything to Bazball. The former Indian opener emphasized the need for honest assessment, highlighting the poor performance of the middle-order batsmen throughout the series.
“Stokes says no one had given them a chance and they did a great job to get here. Someone also said that adapting to the situation is Bazball’s theory. Is it all Bazball? “I’m not saying the team says that, but the English media becomes hyperactive.” Chopra further stated.
“I would say realize a little bit that you had a lot of opportunities to get on par or ahead in this series. The middle order of it does not appear at all. The middle order is a disorder. “If you make an honest evaluation, you will find that the performance of the middle-order batsmen has been extremely average.”
The Ben Stokes-led team started the series with a 28-run win in the first Test in Hyderabad. However, the visiting team suffered a 106-run defeat in the next match at Visakhapatnam. They experienced one of their biggest defeats in the third Test match in Rajkot.
The English team took a 46-run lead in the first innings in the fourth Test match in Ranchi. However, they blew most of the lead and were bowled out for just 145 runs in their second innings. The home team completed the chase with five wickets in hand.
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