"It is disappointing, but this poor patch won’t last long": Rohit Sharma's fan pins hope on turnaround in Australia

Rohit Sharma fan Dipak Patel. Pic/Subodh Mayure

Nagpur-based fan Dipak Patel is disappointed with the way Rohit batted against NZ in the Mumbai Test. However, Patel, 22, is confident that the opener will get back to form in Australia.

"I am a big supporter of Rohit sir and have followed him closely since 2017. I have met him a lot of times. He has been giving me match tickets for the last couple of years," Patel, a food delivery boy in Nagpur, told mid-day on Sunday.

Rohit, 37, managed to score 18 and 11 in Mumbai, while his tally for the series was a mere 91. When asked about his hero's struggles, Patel said: "It is disappointing, but this poor patch won't last long. He will soon get back to form. I am hoping he will help India win in Australia."

Patel revealed how he waited for six days outside Rohit's home in Mumbai. "I first met Rohit sir at his residence in Mumbai in 2021. I waited for six days outside his building because he was in Maldives at the time. When he returned, he offered me lunch and gave me his India jersey and also signed my hand. When I returned to Nagpur, I tattooed his autograph on my hand," added Patel, who has been to Bangladesh twice and once to Sri Lanka, to support his hero.

Also Read: "I was not at my best in terms of leadership and that probably cost us series": Rohit Sharma

Sarfaraz Khan's brothers Musheer (left) and Moin (right) with father Naushad at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Pic/Subodh Mayure

Sarfaraz misses out, home fans not pleased

Several club cricketers at the MCA Pavilion were expecting local boy Sarfaraz Khan to play a match-winning knock in the second innings and help India
beat NZ.

They were disappointed as Sarfaraz went for a duck in the first innings and lost his wicket (for 1) while playing a sweep shot in the second. The Mumbai batter's father (and coach) Naushad and younger brothers Musheer (the Mumbai opener) and Moin were present at the venue on Saturday to watch Sarfaraz bat on his home ground for the first time in a Test. But his stay lasted only four balls in the first innings and two balls in the second essay. When he returned to the dressing room after becoming a victim of left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who claimed 11 scalps in the game, some spectators exclaimed, "Sarfaraz has lost a golden opportunity. He should have stayed there and chased the target."

It's not fair, give us a refund, say spectators

Numerous spectators expected the third Test between India and New Zealand to last five days at the Wankhede Stadium. However, like the second Test in Pune, the Mumbai game also ended in just two and a half days.

"Two tickets for all five days cost me Rs 12,000. But the game finished inside three days. I think it's not fair… the organisers should return the money for the two remaining two days," said a disappointed spectator, who watched the proceedings from the Sachin Tendulkar Stand.

"If they want to keep the importance of Test cricket intact, they should make good pitches which provide equal opportunity to batsmen and bowlers," said another spectator, who witnessed Day Three from the Divecha Pavilion suggested.