"Doesn't have to prove himself": Kapil Dev backs struggling skipper Rohit to bounce back

Former skipper Kapil Dev feels that the struggling India captain Rohit Sharma doesn't have to "prove himself" and it is not ideal to doubt his captaincy after a couple of underwhelming performances. In a span of six months, Rohit has seen himself being celebrated as a hero after the famous T20 World Cup triumph to see his place in the team becoming a subject of debate.

Since the famous night in Barbados, Rohit's bat has resorted to silence, which continues to resonate in his lean patch in Test format. His captaincy also became a hot topic of debate after his decision to bat under gloomy Bengaluru sky in the opening Test against New Zealand. The single decision saw India back in the dressing room with its lowest home total, 46.

Even in the recently concluded second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Adelaide, some fans questioned Rohit's decision to bat when rain momentarily made its presence felt before the opening day began. With a thumping 10-wicket defeat in Adelaide, where the touring party was left exposed, Rohit pondered India's fourth successive Test defeat under his captaincy.

With doubts and criticism surrounding the seasoned opener, the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper has come out in support of Rohit Sharma by expressing his belief in the talent and ability of the 37-year-old.

"I think he doesn't have to prove himself. He has done it for many years. So let's not doubt somebody. I hope his form will come back that is more important. With one or two performances, you start doubting somebody's captaincy who has done so well," Kapil told reporters during an event.

"Six months back, when he won the T20 World Cup, this question wouldn't be asked. Let's see if he doesn't perform in future, he won't be there. But knowing his ability and talent, he will bounce back," he added.

The root cause of Rohit's criticism emerges from his recent outings in the longest format of cricket. During India's historic 3-0 home series whitewash against New Zealand, the fiery opener, who has lost his flamboyance, contributed just 91 runs across three Test matches, averaging 15.17. Even before the series loss against the Kiwis, when India faced Bangladesh, the dynamic opener amassed a mere 42 runs in two Test matches while averaging just 10.50. (ANI)