Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has said that the Indian national cricket team looked tired while losing the Test series against New Zealand at home. Michael Clarke acknowledged New Zealand's performance, but said that this defeat will be a warning for the Rohit Sharma-led team.
India suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat in the Test series against New Zealand. Notably, this was India's first whitewash (three or more Tests). New Zealand became the first team to win a Test series on Indian soil in 12 years. India will next face Australia in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
This shows how tired India is - Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke said that India's recent poor performance was due to "mental fatigue". He pointed out that India were not able to perform at their best in terms of shot selection and bowling decisions. Clarke also recalled that captain Rohit Sharma had admitted that he was not able to perform at his best.
"Don't take anything away from New Zealand, but it tells me that India are very tired. Some of their shot selection, their use of bowlers and even Rohit saying he wasn't at his best - it just feels like it was mental fatigue. They have played so much cricket without a break, but this will be a bit of a shock for them," Clarke said in the Around the Wicket podcast.
You will see the best of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke is confident about India's chances in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia. He said a "refreshed" Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will put up their best performance. Clarke predicted that the duo will be back to their peak with experience, talent and confidence.
Clarke said, "They know they have played well in Australia and they will still come here with a lot of talent and confidence, but hopefully they will be fresh. That is what is important for the Indian players. Virat Kohli - you can't be this good for so long. So once he is fresh, he will play well, and we will see the best performance of Rohit Sharma as well."
The first Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will start from November 22 Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggled during India's home Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Rohit scored just 133 runs in 10 innings, while Kohli added 192 runs in the same number of innings. Between the two, the senior Indian batsmen scored only two half-centuries in five Tests. The five-match Test series between India and Australia will begin in Perth on November 22. Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney will host the remaining four Tests of the series. It is noteworthy that the Indian cricket team had won the last two Test series in Australia by a margin of 2-1.
