IND vs NZ: "Will Be Hurting" - Ravi Shastri Assures Rohit Sharma Will Not Take Defeat to New Zealand Lightly

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has assured Rohit Sharma will not take the defeats to New Zealand lightly, saying the skipper will be "hurt deep down" despite his "just one series loss" comment post the Pune Test.

Rohit-led India created an unwanted record as they lost a home Test series for the first time since 2012 following defeats to New Zealand in Bengaluru and Pune earlier this month.

After the defeat in Pune, Rohit had told reporters to celebrate 12 years of no defeats rather than focussing only on the sole series loss. The skipper faced a lot of flak for his comments, but Shastri believes that Rohit will not take this defeat lightly.

"Rohit Sharma is a proud man. He will not take it lightly. Let me assure you of that," said Shastri, speaking on commentary during the second Test in Pune last week.

The former head coach also added that every player, including Rohit, in the Indian dressing room will be desperate to turn things around when they take the field for the 3rd Test in Mumbai, scheduled to start on Friday (November 1).

"His body language might suggest that he's very relaxed. But deep down, he'll be hurting and hurting big. Not just with him but with every Indian player in that dressing room," Shastri added.

Rohit's captaincy and form has come under the scanner during the ongoing New Zealand series after his decision to bat first in the rain-hit series opener in Bengaluru, and also his contributions with the bat.

The Indian captain has managed only 62 runs, including 1 fifty, in the four innings. Even Virat Kohli has scored just one fifty in the series so far. Earlier, Rohit had said nothing different needs to be done despite the series loss.

"Just because we have lost a series, I don't think there is anything that we need to talk differently or do differently. But yeah, we need to find ways to come out of those situations," Rohit said at the post-match press conference in Pune.

"You don't need to overreact. But you need to have a quiet chat with certain individuals and let them know where they are at and what, as a team, we require from them."

Rohit and Co will be looking to turn things around in Mumbai later this week before they head to Australia for a crucial series Down Under as the race to the World Test Championship Final heats up.