The Gabba pitch, known for its batting-friendly nature in the initial days, seemed better suited for putting runs on the board.
Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has expressed surprise over Rohit Sharma’s decision to bowl first on the opening day of the Brisbane Test. The Gabba pitch, known for its batting-friendly nature in the initial days, seemed better suited for putting runs on the board.
Rohit’s choice raised eyebrows, especially as Hayden believed the conditions were ideal for batting early in the match.
Sharing his views on Star Sports, Hayden explained that the significant rainfall in Brisbane over the past two weeks, with nearly 12 inches recorded, had influenced the pitch preparation.
The groundsmen had to prepare the surface early, which, according to Hayden, resulted in conditions as favorable for batting as one could expect during the first two days.
He predicted the pitch would likely deteriorate after a couple of days, creating challenges for the batting units.
“I was really surprised that actually, Rohit” won the toss and decided to bowl, because I felt like it was over-prepared. I thought it was because of the weather. There were almost 12 inches of rain in the past two weeks. And so we’ve got this showery pattern and it’s been that way for a month and a bit,” Hayden said on Star Sports.
The decision to bowl first did not yield immediate results for India, as the bowlers struggled to trouble the Australian openers.
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Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney batted comfortably on the rain-affected day, guiding their team to 28/0 in 13.2 overs before rain forced an early end to play.
Hayden suggested that batting first would have been the smarter choice, allowing India to take advantage of the favorable conditions early on. He pointed out that the pitch’s behavior is likely to change, offering more assistance to bowlers as the match progresses.
“So the groundsman would have been thinking, we’ve got to get our preparation in early, and that’s why I thought that it was gonna be as good as batting conditions as you’re gonna see now in these first two days, with the view that it will break up and, and turn,” he added.
Whether Rohit’s gamble pays off remains to be seen, but Hayden’s remarks highlight the importance of such decisions in shaping the outcome of a Test match.
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