Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting lashed out at Indian captain Rohit Sharma for his shot selection which led to his dismissal on Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Rohit was in poor Test form coming into the Australian series as well, with consecutive poor home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand as well. He batted at No.6 in the second and third Test against Australia and managed only 19 runs at an
average of 6.33 in three innings as well.

Talking about the dismissal, Ponting said on Channel 7: “That’s just a lazy, not switched on, not up for the moment type of shot. He’s been known as one of the best hookers and pullers of the ball since he’s made his debut but that’s just not there. It’s nothing. It’s not committed, not really looking to be aggressive, he’s just looking to tap it on the head. Might have held in the wicket yes, it might have seamed away from him a fraction. But if you’re going to survive against this Australian attack, you’ve got to be switched on. You’ve got to be making good decisions. If you’re not, they’ll knock you over every time.”

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However, Rohit Sharma has scored only one half-century in his last 14 Test innings, with an average of just over 11 in that stretch as well. Rohit Sharma also acknowledged his poor batting form after the third Australian Test at Brisbane ended in a draw.

At the press conference after the Brisbane Test, Rohit talked about his form: “I have not batted well. There’s no harm in accepting that. But I know what’s in my mind, how I’m preparing myself. All those boxes are very much ticked. It’s just about spending as much time as possible, which I’m pretty sure I’m just there. As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well, I’m pretty happy with how things are panning out for me. Sometimes those numbers can tell you that it’s been a while since he’s got big runs.”