Dinesh Karthik advises Rohit Sharma to ‘attack’ trust his technique after failures against New Zealand

Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has promised advice to Rohit Sharma after his lack of success with the bat in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. Rohit had a forgettable series as both batsman and captain as New Zealand beat India 3-0 on home soil. Rohit could not contribute much with the bat as he managed just 91 runs in six innings and posted a poor average of 15.16, including a solitary fifty in the 1st Test match. While Karthik acknowledged Rohit’s intent and attacking ability, he also wanted the India skipper to trust his technique in the process.

“So, the one thing Rohit Sharma has not done, which he did very well when he took on the opening role, is to rely on his technique. Yes, attacking is an option. But it will only be better if you are confident. When defending or when you are worried that you will bowl a soft delivery You try to attack for, because if it doesn’t work, it looks stupid,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.

Rohit’s forgetful home Test season

Rohit took full responsibility for his batting failure as well as India’s home Test series loss after 12 years. Karthik said Rohit, who always encourages intent in Test batting, has put him in a safe space.

“I think in Test cricket the aim is to get him into a safe area where he can get into trouble, use that. It’s not a method he uses like in white-ball cricket, it’s a method the Indian team needs.” Here, most of the time, when you are defeated a few times, when you are put under some pressure, the instinct to immediately make an attacking shot, which is fraught with risks, arises. “And it’s outside,” he added.

“Rohit feels more comfortable attacking”

Karthik also pointed out that Rohit always resorts to attack but this will not always win him awards.

“I think in Rohit Sharma’s case, his safe area right now is attacking. Then he feels that he is much more comfortable doing that because he has seen that success. But when things don’t go his way, he will always give chances. That’s the image he has given so far.”

In India’s home Test series, in 10 innings Rohit averaged just 13.30 and managed 133 runs with a fifty-plus score.