'Nathan Lyon isn't that good to keep mid-on up': Rohit Sharma's unfiltered roast as he reveals frustration with Pujara

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

Over two years after a telling moment from India's 2023 Test against Australia, Rohit Sharma finally opened up about the incident that had fans buzzing, when cameras caught him visibly animated in the dressing room, seemingly frustrated with the pace of Cheteshwar Pujara and Axar Patel's partnership. The Indian skipper was seen relaying instructions to Ishan Kishan, who then walked out with a message during a break.
What followed was a surprising gear shift: Pujara launched Nathan Lyon for a rare six, drawing an approving smile from Rohit.
Speaking at the launch of The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife, authored by Cheteshwar Pujara's wife Puja, Rohit revealed the story behind that now-viral exchange.
'We wanted to get Nathan Lyon off the track a little bit. We wanted to get some runs quickly. We probably were looking at declaring or something. We were like... 'no, something needs to change now. Maybe, a message would do good'. The entire time, he was bowling with mid-on up. I was like, he's not that good of a bowler to keep mid-on up. I know it was a challenge, the pitch was turning square but we needed to get runs quickly. So I had to send Ishan,' Rohit said.
Rohit, however, admitted that most of the times, the batters – including himself – don't pay heed to the messages, sparking laughter across the hall.
'It's one thing that we send messages. The most important thing is.. sometimes what batters do is whenever someone comes out with a message, we know exactly why he's there. So I would stop him there only!' said the former India Test captain.
It was a low-scoring affair, with Australia eventually clinching a 9-wicket win in the game. Pujara top-scored with 59 off 142 deliveries as India set up a mere 76-run target for the Aussies to win the game. The hosts were earlier bowled out for just 109 in the first innings, and Australia scored 197.
The India batter announced his Test retirement last month through a social media post, calling time on his career which began in 2013, when he smashed a century in a Test against West Indies. Pujara, however, continues to remain an active Test cricketer but hasn't represented India in the format since the 2023 World Test Championship final.
Roughly a week after Rohit's retirement, another India batting stalwart, Virat Kohli, also announced his Test retirement.