A humorous banter took place between Nathan Lyon and KL Rahul during India’s first innings of the fourth Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series. Nathan Lyon’s comment regarding KL Rahul’s batting position was caught on the stump mic after skipper Rohit Sharma’s failure as an opener.
Rohit Sharma struggled with the bat during the second day of the fourth Test in Melbourne on Friday, December 27. The right-handed batter scored only three runs off five balls before being dismissed by Aussie skipper Pat Cummins. This failure came despite Rohit returning to his regular role as an opener.What Did You Do Wrong to Bat One Down?” – Nathan Lyon to KL Rahul
KL Rahul was moved from his opening spot for the Boxing Day Test as Rohit returned to his original position. Rahul played a key role in India’s victory in the first Test in Perth and their fightback at The Gabba. However, the Indian team made changes to the lineup due to Rohit’s struggles in the middle order.
As the new batter was getting ready to face, Nathan Lyon asked him why he was batting at No. 3 despite having a good series as an opener. Lyon’s remark regarding KL Rahul’s batting position was caught on the stump mic.
Rohit Sharma Hasn’t Been Proactive and Is Struggling – MSK Prasad
Former India selector MSK Prasad criticized Rohit Sharma’s captaincy during the ongoing Boxing Day Test against Australia. He mentioned that captaincy directly impacts the team’s performance. Prasad also compared Rohit to previous captains like Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, who led from the front in Australia.
“Captaincy has a direct impact on the performance of the team. Unfortunately, Rohit hasn’t been proactive and is struggling. When Sam Konstas was blazing all guns, he continued with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for 11 overs instead of turning to someone else,” MSK Prasad said on Star Sports during commentary (via CricToday).
“His batting has been ordinary since the Test series against New Zealand, and he landed in Australia with no form under his belt. If you look at the last two series we won in Australia, Virat Kohli led from the front on the first occasion. When we were bowled out for 36 in Adelaide in the last series, Ajinkya Rahane revived the team with a brilliant hundred at the Melbourne Cricket Ground,” MSK Prasad added.
India opted for an unconventional team selection in the fourth Test, leaving out batter Shubman Gill. However, they included three all-rounders in the lineup, two of whom were spinners.
