Team India suffered a humiliating whitewash in the two-match Test series against New Zealand last month. It was also their first defeat in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship; although they continue to sit on top of the points table with 360 points. Meanwhile, former Kiwi fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan feels Rohit Sharma’s presence could have made a difference.
The host led by Kane Williamson dominated the No. 1 Test side completely in the two matches. The batsmen failed to offer resistance throughout the series against the Kiwi quicks which turned out to be the deciding factor.
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Meanwhile, India had to go with a new opening pair – Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw in the absence of Rohit Sharma. The batsman from Mumbai suffered a calf injury during the fifth T20I in Mount Maunganui. As a result, he missed the ODI and Test leg of the tour.
However, the presence of Rohit could have changed the outcome of the series, feels Mitchell McClenaghan. During a recent question-answer session on social media, a fan asked the left-arm pacer whether he feels the presence of Rohit Sharma could have changed the result of the Test series.
The Kiwi quick, who has seen Rohit from closed quarters during his stint with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, complete agreed to the fans views and said that Rohit could have been the deciding factor in the series.
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“Of course,” Mitchell McClenaghan had replied to the tweet.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma was in illustrious form leading to the Test series. He was the leading run-scorer against South Africa at home, amassing 529 runs in three Tests. He looked a different batsman altogether when he was promoted to the top-order in red-ball cricket. Next up, Rohit Sharma will be eyeing the four-match Test series against Australia later this year.
