Former South Africa batsman Daryl Cullinan has given a scathing assessment of Rohit Sharma’s cricketing future, calling the Indian captain a “flat-track bully”.
The 57-year-old Cullinan, who has completed 8,000 international runs for South Africa, also made a pointed comment about Rohit’s physical condition heading into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, describing him as overweight and out of shape. Cullinan also compared Rohit’s fitness with his peers including former captain Virat Kohli.
‘Look at Rohit, then Virat. Notice the difference in their physical condition. Rohit is overweight, and no longer a long-time cricketer. Rohit is not physically fit for the grind of a four- or five-match Test series,” Cullinan told InsideSport.
Rohit has scored just one half-century in his last 12 Test innings since India’s home Test season in September. After India’s first Test win under Jasprit Bumrah in Perth against Australia, Rohit returned to Adelaide in the middle order.
37-year-old KL Rahul, partnering with Yashasvi Jaiswal, has dropped to number 6 in the top spot. Rohit fell for consecutive one-point scores (3 and 6) and was undone by a brutal delivery from his counterpart Pat Cummins in the second innings of the 10-wicket loss.
“I’ll say it again. Rohit is great at home but I don’t think it will backfire against India, because they weren’t the same team in the second Test. I think Rohit is a flat-track scoundrel. Let’s look at his record outside India. Whenever he went to South Africa, I Clearly realized that he doesn’t like the short ball.
“(I don’t like) the fact that he’s in the middle order now. He’s the opener. He has to come and lead from the front,” Cullinan commented.
Rohit’s Test average has fallen to 41.54, the lowest in six years since he last played in the middle order for India in December 2018.
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