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Rohit concedes his form is 'disturbing' for beaten India / Photo: Martin KEEP - AFP
Rohit concedes his form is 'disturbing' for beaten India
India captain Rohit Sharma admitted on Monday his batting form is "disturbing" after a double failure in the 184-run fourth Test loss to Australia in Melbourne.
Rohit also highlighted the need for team-mate Rishabh Pant to bat more sensibly after throwing his wicket away twice in the defeat, which leaves the tourists trailing 2-1 in the series.
Their batting will need to improve for the fifth and final Test starting in Sydney on Friday, which India must win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India's highest run-scorers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground were their two youngest players, continuing a bountiful series for both.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal's 84 made up more than half of India's second innings of 155, complementing his first innings knock of 82.
All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy scored a fighting maiden century in the first innings.
Questions have arisen about the form and ongoing selection of Rohit, 37, and to a lesser degree, fellow-veteran Virat Kohli, 36.
Rohit struggled throughout the 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand in October-November and has failed to get past 10 runs in any of his five innings in Australia.
"A lot of the things I am trying to do are not falling in the place that I would want to," Rohit said.
"Mentally, look, it is disturbing without a doubt if you've come here and you want to try to do successfully what you are supposed to.
"But as of now that is where it is and there are things that we as a team need to look at, and I personally need to look at as well.
"We will see what happens. There is still a game to go."
Pant reached 28 and 30 in his two innings but was guilty of gifting his wicket with loose swipes which were caught in the outfield.
Rohit expected middle-order specialist Pant, renowned for an attack-first batting mentality, to fine-tune his approach in Sydney.
"It's about him understanding and figuring out what is the right way to go about it," Rohit said.
"In the past, he's given us a lot of success doing what he does.
"But it's about the certain situation of the game where if there is a risk percentage, do you want to take those risks? Do you want to let the opposition back into the game?"
M.Lombardi--INP
