India's captain Rohit Sharma, right, talks to Rishabh Pant during play on day two of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Dec.15, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)In the 54th over, Rohit Sharma wore a wry smile at first slip. In the middle of the pitch, Akash Deep held his head with his hands before hunching on his knees. It was probably one of the last moments when India were still in the contest, but they knew it was fast ebbing away. Australia were 140 for 3, after Jasprit Bumrah had taken out the openers in a skilful first spell. They, though, would end the day on 405/7.
Akash, though, had bowled his heart out on a luckless day, repeatedly beating Steve Smith outside off and also testing his pads for potential lbws. In that above instance, there were still embers of hope, recognised by KL Rahul at short midwicket and Mohammad Siraj at short covers for they both ran to Akash, realising he was down, and Siraj put his arms over the shoulder and Rahul patted him on the back. One more effort, and they could perhaps comeback was the cliche floating in the air. But it never came as Travis Head and Steve Smith took total control with contrasting methods.
In the 62nd over, a serious-looking Rohit was in a discussion with Siraj primarily, and also surrounded by Akash and Shubman Gill. Siraj presumably had wanted a field-set for a bowling plan. In that spell, he had bounced Head, who kept wristing it up and over slips down to the untenanted third-man boundary. After a relatively long consultation, Rohit moved a man out of slips to third man. The bouncers came, so did the cracks of doom from Head. One flew over the slips but well to the right of that new fielder at the deep. Another flew wide to his left. In the middle, Head also crunched a pull to deep square-leg boundary. That idea was binned.
In the 66th over, Rohit wore a frustrated look. Nitish Reddy had just been pulled to the boundary by Smith. Rohit turned around to wave at Bumrah at fine-leg. Bumrah wasn’t looking, his back was turned away. Eventually alerted by a support staff hovering around, he turned and saw Rohit gesturing to him to warm-up to bowl the next over. Not that it worked.
Australia’s Travis Head, left, fist bumps with batting partner Steve Smith after scoring runs during play on day two of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, Sunday, Dec.15, 2024. (AP Photo/Pat Hoelscher)
At tea, after 70 overs, Rohit had this smile as he patted Jadeja on the backside and tried to retain that smile as he walked off, after turning around and clapping his team of players.
In the 72nd over, Rohit was disappointed. Head was on 112 and looked to turn a full angler from Nitish to the on-side. The leading edge flew past Rohit’s left at slips. He did react, lunging that way but the ball was also dying on him, and he clanged the catch. A rueful look settled on his visage.
In the 74th over, an expression-less Rohit crossed his arms around his chest, and arched back. In the previous two overs, Jadeja and Nitish had been smashed around, as Australians pressed the gas against the old ball and against tired Indian bowlers.
In the 81st over, Rohit was laughing at his own state—he had just appealed after Head had dug out a Bumrah yorker to Jaiswal at gully. Even as he and teammates appealed for a catch and umpires went upstairs to check, Rohit and Pant were laughing. Of course, it wasn’t a catch.
In the 83rd over, Rohit grabbed a sharp chance lunging to his right at first slip to take out Smith, who had driven loosely at a Bumrah delivery. But there was no visible joy from the captain – or for that matter from anyone. Beside him, Virat Kohli would gently clench the fist and Rohit just lobbed the ball up and got up.
At numerous points during the day, Rohit was also a touch angry. Particularly as a rusty-looking Jadeja kept offering a lot of tripe: either down leg or short at Head. Rohit would flail his arms or at the end of the over, query Jadeja – hence perhaps his eventual move to run up to him at tea to pat him. Not that Jadeja’s performance in this innings should have surprised Rohit and the team-management. He hadn’t even bowled that much in the nets in the lead-up. Both Washington Sundar and R Ashwin had done more with the ball and bat during training. So, it wasn’t a real surprise that he looked rusty on the big day, and especially on a pitch that had nothing for him. It’s not the lack of wickets from him that hurt India, but his lines and lengths – he was presumably drafted in to give them control and hold one end, but that didn’t happen.
Rohit’s sombre mood was exacerbated by Jadeja and to an extent by Siraj, who picked up a slight niggle on his left hamstring/thigh, and wasn’t at his best for the rest of the day. Perhaps not Rohit, but the decision by the bowlers not to target Head from round the stumps, which they successfully in Perth and unsuccessfully but which produced a few nervy moments for Head at Adelaide, wasn’t tried much at all in Brisbane.
Rohit was also a bit miffed at a wild throw from Bumrah from third man that was hurled fast at him, rather than Pant. Bumrah had turned and walked away, leaving Rohit throwing his arms in the air, but that was still early in the afternoon, before the day had certifiably gone pear-shaped.
It was only in the 87th over that Rohit had some genuine smile peep out, for the first time after the morning session. Bumrah produced a straightener outside off that Mitch Marsh edged to Kohli at second slip. This time, Rohit held up his arms as if in appeal, but it was more in celebration. A couple of balls later, in the same over, the smiling expression became brighter as Pant pouched a loose drive from Travis Head and Rohit ran towards his talisman Bumrah, who took five of the six wickets to fall.
Rohit would have also found a couple of developments that need some rumination. Akash Deep has moved up in the pecking order above Siraj, borne by the fact that he was given the second new ball. It also might have made India rue not picking him for the pink-ball Test. Jadeja’s match-readiness would be the second factor. But the second day of the Brisbane Test was a day of Rohit cam – Smiles in the first session followed by escalating sourness in the second and third, before aided by a general sense of looseness from Australia and of course some venom from Bumrah, the relief-tinged smile returned.
At the end, after Alex Carey counterattacked and Pat Cummins resisted for a while, Rohit clapped and allowed his team-mates to walk off the park. He noticed Jaiswal looking behind for some reason, tapped him on the back, gestured him to get off and playfully nudged him with his leg. And smiled. It was a hard day’s work for the captain, who has much to think about his bowling attack and plans in the near future.
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