IND vs AUS 2022-23, 3rd ODI: 'Will not judge batters based on a couple of poor shots' - Rohit Sharma

It was a not-so-gracious outing from Team India in the recently concluded three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia. While the former lost it 1-2, it was its maiden home ODI series loss in four years, with the latter being the last team to do so in 2019. It happened Wednesday after the Men in Blue suffered a 21-run flop to the Kangaroos in the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium in Chennai.

Following the pounding, fans and critics slammed the poor shot selection by the batters. The approach of watchful gameplay, especially by the middle-order batters, was also criticised by many. In the meantime, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has vouched for aggressive gameplay but has asserted that he won't be judging his batters based on a couple of poor strokes.

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"We have always talked about fearless cricket. If someone feels they [the batters] can take the bowlers on, we have given them complete freedom to do that. While doing that, there is a big possibility that they might not be able to achieve what they want, which is fair, and fine by us. You will learn from that," sounded Rohit during the post-match press conference, reports IANS.

"We will not judge based on a couple of poor shots. All these guys have lots of potential, they can play these shots whenever they want, and we want to keep encouraging them to go out there and do it often," Rohit added. He also spoke on middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav's poor run of form and is confident of the fellow Mumbaikar making a comeback.

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"He only played three balls in three [matches] this series, so I don't know how much to look into it. He got three good balls, to be honest. Today, it wasn't that good ball; he should have gone forward. He knows best. He plays spin so well. We have seen that over the last couple of years," reckoned Rohit.

"That's why we held him back and gave him that role for the last 15-20 overs where he can play his game, but, unfortunately, he could only play three balls. That can happen to anyone. But the potential and ability are always there. He is just going through that phase right now," Rohit continued.

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Rohit credited Australia for bouncing back well since the Test series, saying, "It's a collective failure, and we can take a lot of learnings from this series. But, credit to the Australians. Both the spinners applied the pressure, and so did their seamers. You are born and brought up on these wickets. Sometimes, you need to apply yourself and give yourself a chance."