Ongoing struggle of Sharma the Test batter

Poor form and captaincy issues could be two unrelated things as Rohit falls for another low score on day four in Brisbane on Tuesday

- GOMESH S

And just like that Rohit Sharma was taking the long walk back at the Gabba. For the third time in this series, the Indian captain had failed with the bat, and this walk, on yet another overcast morning in Brisbane, felt the longest. It felt like he didn't want to leave, nor did he have a clue as to why it happened again and again. There was a sense of frustration and helplessness as Sharma dropped off his gloves at the boundary before going into the dugout and dressing room.

Once again, Sharma had gotten out trying to defend a ball just outside off-stump. It was his chance to rescue the team, especially after the way things went in the first innings with the ball. But his poor run since the home season began does not seem to be stopping as India, trailing by 371 runs when Sharma fell, were in deep trouble.

Sharma, meanwhile, has bigger concerns. There have been multiple theories about the causation and correlation between his dip in red-ball form and Test captaincy. Experts have pointed out certain areas of concern. However, while trying to understand them, one term comes to mind: Post hoc ergo propter hoc. The phrase, translated from Latin, means 'after this, therefore because of this,' the fallacy in assuming that one event causes another because it happened before the other.