Team India captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged that he misjudged the pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru after his decision to bat first went horribly wrong on Day 2 of the first Test against New Zealand. The Men in Blue faced a tough spell of fast bowling in overcast conditions, resulting in a disappointing total of just 46 runs.
After being dismissed for their lowest Test score at home, conditions improved significantly in the latter part of the day, especially when the sun emerged. New Zealand reached 180-3 in 50 overs before play was stopped.
Because the pitch was wet from being covered for a long time and the weather was cloudy, many thought Rohit Sharma would have the other team bat first after winning the toss. He mentioned at the toss that he expected the pitch to act differently at the start and stressed the importance of scoring runs.
However, things did not go as planned, as significant seam movement and swing were evident throughout the first session, leading to India being reduced to 34-6.
“We thought it wouldn’t help the seamers much after the first session or so. There wasn’t much grass either. We expected it to be much flatter than it turned out to be. It was a misjudgment on my part, and I couldn’t read the pitch well,” Rohit Sharma said during the press conference after Day 1.
“On a pitch where there was assistance for the seamers, and now that we were bowled out for 46, you could say the shot selection wasn’t up to the mark. Sometimes you plan to do something but fail to execute. So, it was a bad day for us,” he added.
Five Indian batters were dismissed without scoring, including Virat Kohli. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant reached double figures in the innings.
“We Don’t Want To Change KL’s Batting Position Much” – Rohit Sharma On KL Rahul Not Batting At No. 3
Another surprising decision from the management was to hold back KL Rahul, even though his early presence was crucial. With Shubman Gill absent, India needed a temporary No. 3 batter, and Rahul, who has experience in that position and the top order, was expected to step up.
However, after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal, it was Virat Kohli who came in next. Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant followed as wickets continued to fall, with KL Rahul eventually batting at No. 6. Unfortunately, he was dismissed for a duck on his home ground by William O’Rourke.
“We don’t want to touch KL’s batting position much. He has found a place at 6, so let’s give him a rope there. Same with Sarfaraz, we wanted to give him a similar position to where he bats because he is new to international cricket as well.”
”So Virat was the one who wanted to take responsibility. We had a discussion, and he was fine with it. That’s a good sign that players are taking responsibility,” Rohit added
“Ek din toh kisi ka bhi kharab hota hai yaar” – Rohit Sharma
India’s captain Rohit Sharma downplayed the team’s poor fielding on Day 2 of the first Test against New Zealand, calling it “one bad day” and not reading too much into it. After rain canceled Day 1, India batted first but was bowled out for just 46 runs.
New Zealand ended the day at 180-3. Rohit noted that the hosts missed several chances, including two catches he dropped, but remained optimistic about their performance. He stated:
“Ek din toh kisi ka bhi kharab hota hai yaar. Aap logon ka bhi office mein ek din toh kharab hoga. (Anyone can have a bad day. You guys must also have had one bad day in office.) In the last two Test matches, we took some good catches. It would not read too much into it on the basis of one day. It’s a game and everyone tries to do well in it. These things happen sometimes.”
India faces a huge challenge ahead if they want to stage a comeback in the Test match after a poor day on the field.
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