Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden advised Indian captain Rohit Sharma to bat with more energy and intent to overcome his lean patch on Day 4 of the ongoing third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Brisbane as well. Team India were at 51/4 in response to Australia’s first innings total of 445, with Rohit unbeaten on 0 (6) and KL Rahul on 33 (64). However, he has been battling dismal form in Tests over the past few months, averaging 13.30 in the ten innings before the Australian series as well.

Speaking to Star Sports after play on Day 3, Hayden said (as quoted by India Today): “When I think of Rohit Sharma, I think of a free-scoring batsman. You look at those double hundreds in one day cricket, his magnificence in the short formats. For purely Rohit Sharma’s sake, he needs to have great intent and energy about him. When I think back to Adelaide, his first game here in a long time, he was just a little sluggish.”

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“I’d be saying to him as his partner, ‘I don’t really want to see you defend the ball here’. I want him to be really reactive to the ball, really up for the fight, because his natural game will flow. Energy and intent will take that front foot a lot further towards the ball. Rohit, what I want you to do, my brother, is play with great energy and intent, and I’d have those as two maybe trigger words for him to think about in his preparation,” he added.

However, Matthew Hayden also criticized India’s attacking approach with the bat against the new ball on Day 3 of the Brisbane Test as well. They lost four key batters – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant- inside the first 14 overs, which were to be reduced to 44/4 as well.

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“I just feel at the moment that there’s an urgency around India’s batting. It has to be an effort over time here at The Gabba. Technically, you know, find a way to get through the new ball. You haven’t got that long. You know, those wickets all came largely within the first 10 overs,” concluded Matthew Hayden. “Nathan McSweeney hasn’t set this series on light. But what he has done is resisted the urge to get out early. Usman Khawaja is a bit the same. And that’s Australian conditions. It’s a new ball wicket. Melbourne will be no different, nor Sydney.”