India captain Rohit Sharma believes that Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal all have the ability to perform well in the series, but he doesn’t want to complicate their thought processes.
Despite the high expectations from this trio on the Australia tour, they have not yet been able to meet those expectations. However, Rohit is not overly concerned about them. He clearly stated that the team management does not want to interfere with the batters’ mental approach.
India took the lead in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a 295-run victory in the first Test in Perth. However, Australia bounced back in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, winning by 10 wickets to level the series. The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw.
Jaiswal, on his first tour to Australia, made a brilliant 161 after a duck in Perth but failed to reach 25 in the next four innings. His highest score in the last three innings was an unbeaten 4.
Another top-order batter, Gill, missed the first Test due to injury, and in the next two Tests, he couldn’t make a significant impact, scoring 31, 28, and 1 in three innings.
Pant, coming in during challenging situations, showed glimpses of good form but failed to convert them into substantial innings. He has scored 96 runs at an average of 19.20 in five innings in the series, with his highest score being 37.
The fourth Test will begin on Thursday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Rohit referred to Pant’s previous performances in Australia and said they don’t want to impose anything on him.
“There’s no pressure on him. His recent form in India has been good, and his record in Australia is strong.”
Pant scored 422 runs at an average of 46.88 in his last five Tests in India. Before this series, he had scored 624 runs at an average of 62.4 in seven Tests in Australia.
Referring to Gill and Jaiswal, Rohit said, “Each of them has the ability to do well in this series. They just need a little guidance about the match situation.”
“These guys—Gill, Jaiswal, and Pant—are all in the same boat. We don’t want to complicate their process. They know what is expected of them.”
“We just need to make them aware of the match process and the finer details. There’s no need to complicate their plans or thought processes.”
