Former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has put his weight behind Rohit Sharma after the Test series loss against New Zealand. India suffered a 113-run loss against the Kiwis after losing the second Test at Pune.

Rohit has also come under the scanner for his ordinary returns with the bat at the top of the order. The Indian captain returned with scores of 0 and 8 in the second Test match. Furthermore, he managed scores of 2 and 52 in the opening Test at Bengaluru, which India lost by eight wickets

Rohit also could not deliver the goods in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, returning with scores of 6, 5, 23, and 8. Dhawan, who shares a close bond with Rohit Sharma, said it’s not only about winning and losing but also but also camaraderie within the team.

“As a cricketer, we don’t think that way. And Rohit is a great leader; it’s not just about winning and losing. There’s a bond, the team’s connection with its leader, and how much they look up to him,” Shikhar Dhawan said on India Today.

On the other hand, Dhawan also backed the Indian team to find success in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia.

“India will do very well in Australia. Whether he plays the first match or not, of course, his presence and experience will be missed. But I am sure the boys are very, very professional and will perform well,” he said during the aforementioned conversation.

India has won the last two Test series on Australian soil and will want to replicate the good show. The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar

Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed