Jatin Paranjape, a former Indian cricketer and national selector, believes despite Rohit Sharma being far from his best in the 10-wicket loss to Australia in Adelaide, he is still confident of the Indian skipper performing better in the remaining three matches of the series. In his return to the number six position in Test cricket after a six-year absence, Rohit could only muster nine runs at Adelaide Oval over the two innings. A continued poor run in Adelaide means Rohit’s average in his last six Tests is only 11.83.

Rohit also faced criticism as captain for not using his bowlers effectively and setting proactive fields. Travis Head’s 140-run knock, headlined by his aggressive square-of-the-wicket scoring, exemplifies this; India’s response was to offer open fields and only bowl four bouncers, despite his known vulnerability to them.

“I know he’s had a really bad run in the last few Test innings. But I think form is temporary, and class is permanent. I have a very, very good feeling about Rohit Sharma coming good, as let’s not forget that he’s a Mumbai batter.

“They are known to kind of win against you when things are hard. I thought he was a bit off-colour in this Test match at Adelaide, but I’m sure that he will bounce back There’s nothing wrong in his batting, but he just needs to get an hour or two under his belt on the field,” said Paranjape to IANS in an exclusive conversation.

He also thinks Rohit should return to being an opener in the third Test in Brisbane, starting on December 14. “Being back in the opener’s slot is something which is a comfort area for him. So I expect him to come back into the top slot to open with Jaiswal and have KL Rahul batting at five. I also thought he was a bit off with his captaincy on the first couple of days and I’m sure he will turn it around in the next three matches to come.”

Paranjape, co-founder of KheloMore and a member of the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee, praised Australian captain Pat Cummins’ exceptional leadership in the hosts’ victory in Adelaide.

“Over the last three-four years, he’s the best captain in world cricket and he took it upon himself by picking five wickets in the second innings and bowled some pretty unplayable stuff. I did believe that after the first Test match, Cummins will kind of need to lift the Australian team which he did so. I thought he was the standout performer for them in Adelaide.”

As the Border-Gavaskar Trophy heads to Brisbane tied 1-1, Paranjape predicts India will make two bowling changes: swapping Harshit Rana for Akash Deep, and replacing Ravichandran Ashwin with Ravindra Jadeja.

“Bumrah, Akash and Siraj will be a good kind of partnership for this next Test match because the ball will seam in the game at The Gabba. I also feel we might leave Ashwin and play Jadeja because it gives them more space with the bat at number seven or eight. The series is going to be super exciting from now, as it’s going to go down to the wire and I expect India to bounce back.”

Having served on the selection committee for India’s 2-1 Border-Gavaskar triumph in Australia in 2018/19, Paranjape concluded by saying the lack of pink-ball experience impacted India, but he remains unconvinced by the concept of day-night Tests.

‘The pink ball is very difficult to see under lights and the seam of the pink ball is black in colour. On the whole, the seam and theme of the ball is extremely difficult to see. If you’re playing just one or two Test matches a year or maybe just one Test match a year or one Test match every two years, it becomes extremely difficult for any player to play against pink ball.

“But for me I fail to see the point of pink ball cricket, because when you’re playing for the World Test Championship, you need to keep all the rules consistent. But then that’s what the ICC has decided, so I’m sure they have they have more gravitas than me but I think playing the pink ball Tests inherently is hard to see.”

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Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj was fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while Australian batter Travis Head was also “sanctioned” by the ICC for indulging in a heated exchange of words during the just-concluded day-night Test in Adelaide. Siraj and Head were held guilty of breaching the world body’s code of conduct following a disciplinary hearing on Monday. “Siraj has been penalised 20 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel,” the ICC said in a statement.

The cited rule relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.” The ICC said Head too was “sanctioned” for breaching Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

However, he escaped a fine for breaching the rule that relates to the “abuse of a player, player support personnel, umpire or match referee during an international match.” Siraj and Head also received one demerit point each on their disciplinary records, marking their first offence in the last 24 months.

“Both admitted their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle,” the ICC said.

Head and Siraj had a brief showdown on day two of the match that Australia won by 10 wickets on Sunday. Head had struck a splendid 141-ball knock of 140 before being castled by Siraj, who went on to give him an aggressive send-off following an exchange of words.

The Indian endured booes from the Adelaide crowd following the confrontation.

Head later claimed that he had merely said “well bowled” to Siraj and that he was disappointed at how the visiting bowler had responded. Siraj disputed that claim, asserting that Head had abused him.

“I only celebrated and he abused me and you saw that on TV too. I only celebrated at the start, I didn’t say anything to him,” Siraj told broadcaster ‘Star Sports’.

“What he said in the press conference wasn’t right, it’s a lie that he only said ‘well bowled’ to me. It’s there for everyone to see that that’s not what he said to me.” Head also acknowledged his role in the incident.

“There was no confrontation leading up to him and I felt like it was probably, yeah, a little bit far at the time, and that’s why I am disappointed in the reaction that I gave back,” he said in a post-play press conference.

The two teams are tied 1-1 in the five-match series.

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India’s iconic 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has expressed his willingness to assist former cricketer Vinod Kambli, provided the Mumbai star takes the initiative to address his struggles. Kambli represented India in 17 Tests and 104 One-Day Internationals between 1991 and 2000, amassing 3,561 runs across both formats. Kapil Dev emphasised the importance of self-help as a starting point for meaningful rehabilitation. Speaking at the launch of the Vishwa Samudra Open, Kapil Dev, also the president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), said, “We are all (there) to support him. Sunil Gavaskar has already told me on behalf of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, and I extend my help on my behalf, but more than me trying to support him, he should support himself. We can’t look after him if he does not want to look after himself,” Kapil Dev said on Monday.

Kapil’s statement comes amidst growing concerns over Kambli’s deteriorating health and well-being, which has saddened the cricketing fraternity. Known for his swashbuckling batting style in the 1990s, Kambli now finds himself in a fragile state, physically and emotionally.

The emotional appeal coincided with a video that surfaced at an event commemorating the legacy of coach Ramakant Achrekar, a mentor to both Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar. The footage showed Kambli, 52, frail and visibly thinner, leaning on Tendulkar for support. At one point, he struggled to sing, his slurred speech betraying his condition.

The cricketing fraternity, including the 1983 World Cup-winning team recently extended its collective support. Gavaskar assured, “What the ’83 team wants to do is take care of him. We want to take care of Vinod Kambli and help him get back on his feet.”

Kambli and Tendulkar both studied at the Shardashram Vidyamandir school in Mumbai and attended the nets organised by Achrekar. Kambli, 17, and Tendulkar, 16, shared a world-record unbroken partnership of 664 against St Xavier’s High School in the Harris Shield semifinal in 1988.