AUS vs IND, Boxing Day Test: Rohit Sharma lauds Jasprit Bumrah's skillset, praises impact on series (WATCH)

In a candid assessment ahead of India's Boxing Day Test against Australia, captain Rohit Sharma emphasized the importance of leaving star pacer Jasprit Bumrah to his own devices.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Dec 24, 2024, 1:55 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 24, 2024, 1:55 PM IST

In a candid assessment ahead of India's Boxing Day Test against Australia, captain Rohit Sharma emphasized the importance of leaving star pacer Jasprit Bumrah to his own devices, while also offering strong backing to his young batting trio, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant.

Rohit, speaking to the media, explained that Bumrah, who has been a match-winner and the pace spearhead of the team, requires little intervention from the coaching staff.

Also read: AUS vs IND, Boxing Day Test: Rohit Sharma confirms 'knee is fine', keeps batting position under wraps (WATCH)

"The easiest way of handling Bumrah is to not say anything. He knows what he is doing and how he operates. He doesn't try to complicate things and keeps it nice and simple and believes in his skillset...," Rohit explained during a press conference in Melbourne ahead of the high-octane 4th Border-Gavaskar series Test.

"Whether he gets wickets or not, he is very clear in his mind. Conversations I have had with him during games has made me realise the guy knows what he is doing so there is nothing much I can add there," Rohit added.

Pant, Gill, Jaiswal are in same boat: Rohit Sharma

Turning his attention to the younger players, Rohit acknowledged that Jaiswal, Gill, and Pant had been struggling for form in the ongoing Test series against Australia, but he was firm in his belief that overloading them with advice would only complicate matters.

"All these boys like Gill, Jaiswal and Pant are all in the same boat. (They know) what they are capable of doing, we shouldn't complicate those things," the skipper said.

Jaiswal, who has shown flashes of brilliance with a stunning 161 in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, had a tough run in the subsequent matches. Despite this, Rohit emphasized that the young opener should be given space to play his natural game.

"Jaiswal is coming here for the first time. He has already shown what he is capable of. He has got so much talent, when you have a guy like him, you don't want to tamper too much with his mindset. Let him be as free as possible and not over-burden him with too many thoughts regarding his batting. He understands his batting more than any one of us and that's how he has played his cricket," the skipper stood firmly behind his young colleague.

Rohit was equally positive about Gill, despite his struggles in the series so far.

"Talking about Gill, he is quality and we all know that. It's just about backing that quality and making sure we give clear messaging and like Jaiswal, we don't want to complicate too many things and he understands his batting really, really well," Rohit said.

"He knows how to score big runs and he has done that before. Just make sure you get 30s and 40s and make that count. Getting in here is the toughest part."

Pant, who was a hero during India’s 2021 series win against Australia, has faced criticism following a string of low scores. However, Rohit made it clear that there was no undue pressure on the wicketkeeper-batter to replicate his previous performances.

Also read: Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Shami ruled out of final two Tests due against Australia due to fitness concerns

"There is no pressure on Pant. Look, he played three Tests here. He was in good form in India, made runs. We shouldn't sit here on judgement on basis of two or three Test matches. He knows what he needs to do," the skipper was clear.

Overall, Rohit’s message to his young charges was clear: trust in their abilities and avoid over-complicating their thought processes.

"They know what's expected of them and our job is to tell them to work on small things like game awareness. I don't think that we need to talk more and complicate their thought process," Rohit said.

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