Aussie cricket legend blasts India skipper Rohit Sharma for his furious reaction to young star’s mistake
India captain Rohit Sharma has been criticized for his angry reaction after one of his young stars dropped a catch on day four of the Boxing Day Test.
It was a nightmare day for 23-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, who dropped three catches during Australia’s second innings.
The India captain was quite accommodating when the first catch came in the third over, with the left-handed batsman failing to hold on to a mistimed shot from Usman Khawaja.
Later in the day, Jaiswal also failed to collect a clipped edge from Marnus Labuschagne, who went on to hit 70 off 139 balls.
Jaiswal, standing on third slip, failed to collect the rather routine catch that had come straight at him.
Sharma stood behind him, saw red and threw his arm down in a fit of anger. Akash Deep, who was bowling at the time, was also less than impressed with an irate figure.
Rohit Sharma was criticized for his reaction to a young star’s missed catch on Sunday
Yashasvi Jaiswal had a tough day in the field, dropping three catches, most notably Marnus Labuschagne
Sharma (right) was seen throwing his fist on the ground as he reacted angrily to the dropped catch
But given Jaiswal’s age and experience in the side, several cricket commentators lashed out at the India skipper, claiming that he should have stood by the youngster and not abused him.
Mike Hussey was one to claim that Sharma’s body language would have made Jaiswal feel even worse.
“I have to be honest, I don’t like that reaction from the Indian skipper,” Hussey told Fox Cricket.
‘I appreciate that he is emotional, and he desperately wants wickets, but you are the one who has to deliver the message of calm and support. No one plans to drop a catch.
“He’ll feel bad enough when he lays down a catch, especially someone like Marnus Labuschagne, it happens quickly, it’s in, it’s out. You don’t need to see that as a young player.’
Alyssa Healey, also on commentary, added: ‘Especially when you need him to walk out and open the batting alongside you, score some runs and try to win a Test match for your country.’
Jaiswal has enjoyed a solid series so far, inspiring India to a huge 295-run win in the first Test in Perth, hitting 161 off 297 balls.
Struggling for runs at the Gabba and in Adelaide, he bounced back during India’s first innings at the MCG, hitting 82 runs before being dismissed by Pat Cummins.
Bowler, Akash Deep (left), also expressed his frustrations towards Jaiswal after dropping the catch
The 23-year-old cut a frustrated figure after dismissing the Queensland batsman, with Labuschagne scoring 70 runs
But the 23-year-old would unfortunately drop another catch, sending the Australian skipper into the stands.
Former cricketer Darren Berry also turned to X to express his support for Jaiswal and hit out at India’s senior players.
“You have to feel sorry for the kid who dropped three catches to Jaiswal today,” Berry wrote.
‘He may have missed three crucial opportunities, the match and the series. His only answer is a match-winning innings when his chance comes for India later today.
‘Needs a pat on the back from his senior players, not scolded.’
Another added: “Yes, terrible reactions from his captain. The poor kid would feel terrible and possibly lack self-confidence – more so because of Rohit’s behavior on the field than the actual missed catches.
‘But [the] The first 2 catches should have actually been taken. Catches win games.”
One X user said: ‘He’s usually a really good slipper, one of the best in recent memory. I just didn’t like the way Rohit reacted to the drops, Yashasvi didn’t need that.
Jaiswal has had a solid series so far, inspiring India to a huge 295-run win in the first Test in Perth, hitting 161 off 297 balls
“The guy just needed an arm over the shoulder after the first fall and he would be fine.”
While Australia have clawed their way to a 333-run lead, they face the prospect of a replay of the Brisbane Test on Monday if they fail to eliminate India.
The Cummins side had a difficult day at the MCG wicket, with Sam Konstas dismissed for eight, Travis Head conceding one run and Steve Smith managing just thirteen.
Mitchell Marsh was also dismissed for failing to score runs off four deliveries as concerns increased over his place in the team after the Australian batsman scored just 73 runs in the series.