"Got to be very clear in his mindset": Ravi Shastri reflects on Rohit Sharma's recent Test form

Former cricketer Ravi Shastri reflected on India skipper Rohit Sharma's recent Test form and said that the 37-year-old needs to be very clear in his mindset and take attacking approach against the opposition without worrying about anything else. The 2024/25 Test season which started with a series against Bangladesh, has been extremely horrific for Rohit. Not only did he suffer a rare home series loss, a whitewash of 0-3 against New Zealand, India's first series loss at home in 12 years, but also on batting front, he has managed to score just 152 runs in seven Tests at an average of 11.69, with only one fifty in 13 innings. His best score is 52.

In 13 Tests this year, he has made 607 runs at an average of 26.39, with two centuries and two fifties in 24 innings and best score of 131. The series is currently tied at 1-1 after India secured a draw in the third Test in Brisbane. The Boxing Day Test will kick off on December 26 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Speaking on the latest episode of The ICC Review, Shastri said that he would have asked Rohit to open at the Brisbane Test. The former India coach praised KL Rahul's performance and said that it was joy to watch his batting.

"I would have asked him (Rohit) to open in the last Test match but then the way Rahul has batted, I mean he was a joy to watch and the way he's batting, I believe he struck a purple patch," Shastri was quoted by ICC as saying.

Shastri added that even though Rohit is out of form but his technique was faultless in the previous matches of the series.

"It could be a position he might just want to keep and enhance the way he's playing because his technique was faultless. The way he left the ball, the way he allowed the ball to come onto the bat, I mean some of his cover drives were as good as any played by anyone in world cricket at the moment. And so I think when there's that much confidence there, you know, let it be. I would like to see Rohit Sharma, his tactics change a bit because he can still be extremely dangerous at that number (six)," he added.

He further added that Rohit should take the attack to the opposition and not worry about anything else. "I think he's got to be very clear in his mindset to go out there and take the attack to the opposition and not worry about anything else," he concluded. Australia has made a couple of changes to its squad, addressing the absence of Josh Hazlewood and concerns in the top order. Sam Konstas has replaced Nathan McSweeney for the fourth Test.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. (ANI)