If only the runs from his bat flowed as quickly and freely as Rohit Sharma’s excuses.
The Indian captain was quick to find reasons for his team’s emphatic defeat in the World Test Championship final after never really being in the match in a 209-run loss to Australia.
It was just as one-sided as India’s defeat against New Zealand in the same fixture two years earlier, where India was rolled for 217 and 170 in an eight-wicket loss.
Rohit has failed to pass 50 in his four innings in these finals – and neither has the rest of the Indian top four.
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Playing in English conditions in June, this time around so soon after the Indian Premier League, has proven too stiff a challenge for the subcontinent powerhouse.
And it prompted Rohit to call for change after Australia coasted to victory on Sunday night (AEST).
“A three-match series would be nice … you work hard for two years and then you have only one shot at it. You cannot get into that momentum that you need for Test cricket. In the next cycle … a three-match series would be ideal,” Rohit said.
“June is not the only month we should play the final. It can be played any time of the year and anywhere in the world. Not just in England.”
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Rohit’s comments were relayed to victorious Aussie skipper Pat Cummins and he quickly shut down his counterpart.
“It’s fine. No qualms,” Cummins said, to laughter from the press gallery.
“Ideally you’d have a 50-match series but the Olympics have come down to one race to win a gold medal. AFL, NRL seasons have finals. That’s sport,” Cummins said.
“To make it to the final you’ve got to win everywhere in the world. I think this cycle was 20 Test matches. I think we might have only lost three or four out of the 20. The boys were fantastic the whole way through. We adapted well and that’s what makes it so satisfying.”
Rohit also doubled down on his criticism of the most controversial moment of the match – Shubman Gill’s dismissal in the second innings when he was caught by Cameron Green.
“The decision was made quite quickly,” said Rohit, who also objected to third umpire Richard Kettleborough’s call from the middle of The Oval.
“You need to be 100 per cent sure because it’s a final and we were at an important stage of the game. There was only one or two camera angles, more should have been shown.”
Again, Cummins offered a contrasting view.
“He’s probably the best umpire in the world, he knows the rule book, he’s seen every angle,” Cummins said. “I’d back his decision more so than emotional, passionate fans that are looking on a big screen from 100m away.”
Indian coach Rahul Dravid showed more grace when he was asked about Team India’s preparation.
“I am never going to be happy with the prep as a coach, but that’s a reality I’m faced with … we are faced with,” he said.
“Schedules are so cramped and tight. When you’ve been playing international cricket, if you’re here three weeks before the tour and play two (warm-up) games, you’re going to be better prepared.
“We don’t have that, got to do what we can, but no excuses, no complaints. I want to congratulate Australia. They played better than us for five days. We don’t need to make excuses, we need to look at ourselves, see what we can get better at, what we can improve on, and that’s a constant effort.”
