Indian skipper Rohit Sharma continued his torrid Test form by falling for a painstaking 14 off 41 deliveries on the opening day of the second Test against England in Vizag.
Rohit Sharma tamely glanced an off-spinning delivery from debutant Shoaib Bashir to Ollie Pope at leg-slip to conclude his boundary-less innings.
The 36-year-old significantly stood out during both the West Indies Test series and ODI World Cup. But, lately, those standout performances seem rare. Rohit could score just 60 runs across two Test matches in South Africa. Even though India tied the game 1-1, he was expected to do better.
Against England in the Hyderabad Test, Rohit Sharma started off well in both innings. Yet, he got out at just 24 and 39 runs. This didn’t help India’s situation. His leadership abilities were questioned as England played its second innings. Surprisingly, India lost by a close 28 runs. Overnight, they slipped into a 0-1 deficit.
Rohit Sharma was India’s batting standout in the last Test against South Africa in Vizag in 2019, achieving centuries in both innings. However, his recent fall in Test innings has left supporters on Twitter disappointed and questioning if the skipper is past his prime in the red ball format.
Here are a few reactions:
India announce three changes in playing XI for Vizag Test
Team India made three changes to their playing XI for the second Test, following a surprise setback over England in Hyderabad.
Before the game, both KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were out, injuries got in their way. Mohommad Siraj was given a break too. Rajat Patidar debuted in Test cricket. Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar were also part of the roster.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma verified the news and spoke about the significance of the Vizag Test at the toss.
“We need to play good cricket. What happened in Hyderabad is history, we need to move on. We have spoken on things we need to do, now we need to execute on our plans. I thought we batted well in the first innings, but didn’t have the same intent. Similarly, in the second innings with the bowl there was a brilliant knock by Ollie Pope.”
Rohit Sharma
He added:
“Injuries are part and parcel of the game, but that’s why we have the guys sitting on the bench. Two unforced changes (meant forced) – Jadeja and KL miss out, and Siraj has been rested. We’ve got Mukesh, Kuldeep and Rajat Patidar making his debut.”
Rohit Sharma
Despite losing their captain, Team India is off to a strong start after winning the toss and choosing to bat first. They are 103/2 in 31 overs at lunch on Day 1, with opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal on 51* and under-pressure Shreyas Iyer on 4*.