Rohit the Captain is Holding the Team Back

I’m not sure about Rohit the batsman, but I’m increasingly convinced that *Rohit the captain* is actively holding this team back. His performance today was shockingly poor, especially in terms of following the ball and setting plans for most of the opposition batsmen. It felt like the only strategy was “let’s get Bumrah and Akash to bowl at them,” with no real thought beyond that. 1. Speaking of the bowlers, I thought Akash and Siraj were okay today (especially Akash). The real surprise for me was Jadeja—he got carted around the ground, which stood out massively compared to previous tours where he and Ashwin consistently kept things tight and built pressure. * Jadeja is picked overseas primarily because of his superior batting. But his bowling style, whether you see it as monotonous or metronomic, thrives on sticking to a plan. The idea of bowling into Travis Head's pads was solid: tuck him up, get the odd edge off a straighter ball, and make lofted shots tougher off that length. Yet, Rohit kept shifting fields and forcing Jadeja to bowl wider lines, which completely negated the plan. * Additionally, Rohit waited far too long to bring him into the attack. Building pressure and settling into a spell is far easier against the top three scoring at 2 RPO than against a Travis Head already ramping up the tempo. Overall it was hard to tell whether Jadeja’s inconsistency was his own doing or a result of constantly changing fields leaving him unsure of what to do. 2. Even against Steven Smith, the singles came far too easily. Rohit’s defensive approach and lack of proactive captaincy are easily some of the most frustrating things about his captaincy. 3. Overall, conceding 400 runs after electing to bowl in helpful conditions is just not good enough. Australia is now in a commanding position, and we’re left relying on our batting and the rain to salvage this game—and frankly, I’m not sure which will disappoint more. What are your thoughts on Rohit’s captaincy today? https://preview.redd.it/o6da39t5h17e1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=b55120f424cedbdb810e8fa71e8f1f64f755be77