Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, on Thursday acknowledged the misjudgment of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch after the hosts were bundled out for their lowest Test score at home. Rohit surprised everyone by opting to bat first during an overcast morning in Bengaluru while also selecting three spinners and only two pacers.
“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 told reporters at the end of Day 2 in Bengaluru.
Just a week after their triumphant victory in Kanpur, India witnessed a disastrous day against New Zealand, being bowled out for a mere 46 runs on the second day of the first Test in a three-match series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Indian side managed to bat for only 31.2 overs during an overcast morning, marking this as their third-lowest score ever in Test history and the lowest at home. Was there a lack of application and patience from the Indian batters?
“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. It was a bad day. Sometimes you plan to do something but fail to execute,” the Indian skipper added.
New Zealand’s fast bowlers, led by William O’Rourke and Matt Henry, dominated after Tim Southee initiated India’s collapse by dismissing Rohit Sharma early in the day. Choosing to bat first under overcast conditions on a pitch that had been covered due to recent rain proved costly for India.
Five Indian players, including Virat Kohli, who was unexpectedly moved to the number three spot, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and R Ashwin, registered ducks at the iconic venue.
After a morale-boosting series win against Bangladesh, India was expected to continue their dominance but were instead handed a harsh reality check by New Zealand’s seamers, who exploited the moist pitch conditions.
India’s strategy was questionable; they chose to bat after winning the toss, missing a chance to let their own pacers loose on a vulnerable New Zealand team, which had recently lost 2-0 in Sri Lanka. Additionally, sending Kohli in at number three in challenging batting conditions was another misstep, not capitalizing on KL Rahul’s experience with local conditions and his history of opening.
“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 said.
The decision to promote Kohli failed spectacularly as he struggled and was out for a duck. Similarly, Sarfaraz Khan at number four gave his wicket away cheaply, and Rahul, despite his familiarity with the conditions, chased a wide ball and was also dismissed without scoring.
On top of that, Rishabh Pant suffered a blow to his right knee, the same knee on which he had surgery after a horrific car accident.
“It was a direct blow to his knee. He was in pain. He has got some swelling on his knee. It’s the same knee on which he had the surgery. So Rishabh and all of us don’t want to take any risks. Hopefully, he’ll be back in this match,” Rohit said.
By the time the Black Caps came out to bat, the sun was shining. Openers Tom Latham (15) and Devon Conway started well, with the latter going on to score 91 runs. Will Young played a handy knock of 33 before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell saw out the day for the visitors, ending on 180/3, leading by 134 runs. For India, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jadeja picked up a wicket each.
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