Cricket world turns on Rohit Sharma as 'disgusting' teammate swipe exposes grim India truth

India captain Rohit Sharma was rightly condemned around the cricket world for his blow-up at Yashasvi Jaiswal after his young teammate dropped Marnus Labuschagne on day four at the MCG. Sure, it was a sitter that the 23-year-old should have taken and one of three catches the opener put down on Sunday, but the reaction of the Indian captain was unacceptable and pointed to that of a man under serious pressure.

Rohit is in a horror run of form with the bat and questions have been mounting about whether the Border-Gavaskar series will be his last in Test cricket. Aussie great Mark Waugh said if Rohit failed with the bat again in the second innings then he should be dropped for the fifth Test. Curiously, the one Test India have won so far this series came in Perth, when Rohit did not play due to the birth of his second child.

"If he doesn't make runs in the second innings and we go to Sydney in a crucial Test match, I'd be saying, 'Rohit, thank you for your service. You've been a great player, but we're going to bring in Jasprit Bumrah as captain for the SCG and that’s the end of your career,'" Waugh said. If that is to be the case, then the incident with Jaiswal will be a stain on what has been a stellar career.

Rohit Sharma blow-up presents big dilemma for India

Aside from from how bad the optics look to openly and publicly berate a young teammate for a glaring mistake, Rohit's outburst could have a devastating flow-on effect for India, and jeopardise their hopes of retaining the Border-Gavaskar series. The tourists will already need to defy history if they are to chase down more than 333 runs for victory, with England's 332 in 1928 the last time such a feat was achieved.

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A draw is probably a more realistic result for India, who only need to avoid losing at the MCG and in the fifth Test at the SCG to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. But in order to achieve either a win or draw in Melbourne, the tourists will likely need a firing Jaiswal, whose confidence has surely been rattled after a horror day four.

Apart from fourth Test centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy (293 runs in seven innings), Jaiswal (275 runs) has been India's best batter this series and the tourists will be hoping the youngster can deliver again on Monday. In order to do so though, the 23-year-old will have to put his individual disappointment aside and present a united front with his captain.

The fact that Rohit and Jaiswal will open together on Monday adds an even more intriguing dynamic to what shapes as the most pivotal day of the series so far. Former England captain Michael Vaughan suggested late on day four that India had a huge job getting Jaiswal in the right mindset for the second innings, with Aussie cricket great Mike Hussey among those to slam Rohit for berating his young teammate.

Rohit Sharma savaged for blow-up at Yashasvi Jaiswal

“I’ve got to be honest, I don’t like that reaction from the Indian skipper,” Hussey said on Fox Cricket. “I appreciate he’s emotional, and he desperately wants wickets, but you’re the one who has to send the message of calm and support... He’s gonna feel bad enough as it is for putting a catch down, especially someone like Marnus Labuschagne, it happens quickly... you don’t need to see that as a young player.”

Aussie star Alyssa Healy added: “Particularly when you need him to walk out and open the batting alongside you, to make some runs and try and win a Test match for your country.” Former Aussie cricketer Darren Berry tweeted: “You gotta feel for the kid Jaiswal has dropped 3 catches today. He might have dropped 3 crucial chances, the game & the series. His only answer is a match winning innings... (he) needs a pat on the back from his senior players not (to be) berated.”‍️