It seems Skipper Rohit Sharma is having a torrid time on the first day of the Test underway against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The opener to three Tests did not quite go according to plan with Rohit and co. struggling to get their act together both with bat as well as the ball.
The match began on abysmal lines for India. Having won the toss and chosen to bat, Rohit’s side was more forgettable than a made-for-TV movie, as it crumbled for just 46 runs-their lowest Test total in Asia. The New Zealand pacers ran amok against the Indian batters, and Tim Southee dealt a killer blow by clean-bowling Rohit for just 2 runs.
Of five departed Indian batsmen, two of them were big-name players Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, who left without scoring, as did Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin. If the batting collapse was not enough, Indian bowlers hadn’t still been able to have more of an impact in terms of breakage and, quite evidently, tired Rohit with the constant scoreboard failure that made him look frustrated on the field.
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His frustration became apparent when, during a tense moment in the game, he was caught saying unprintable dialogues at a teammate under stress. The clip is now viral, where Rohit’s voice can be heard from the slips, suggesting that he wasn’t too happy with either Yashasvi Jaiswal or Sarfaraz Khan for that on-field slip-up.
Rohit Sharma Abusing Ravindra Jadeja “jaddu b*dk ball kra kya kr rha h m*darch*d”
🗣️Caught On Stump Mic#RohitSharma#INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/ABXUvMqMt2
— Samar Pandey (@SamarPa71046193) October 17, 2024
Rohit Sharma’s troubles with the bat flowed into his captaincy as well, as India could not cross New Zealand’s first-wicket stand. Even though the Indian bowlers have maintained some decent lines, they just could not breach the Kiwi batting order regularly.
Kuldeep Yadav took the first wicket for India, by that time New Zealand had already gained a lead thanks to the scalp of Will Young by Ravindra Jadeja. At Hagley Oval, with the match slowly slipping away from India’s hands, Rohit’s anxiety and visible frustration show how pressure is mounting on the Indian team.
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Now, with the second innings approaching, India will desperately look for answers in both the batting and bowling departments. And being out of form in the first innings itself, Rohit would look to correct his wrongs with the bat while trying to inspire his teammates to pick wickets quickly, hoping to turn things around at Hagley Oval and keep the series alive.
