Following the conclusion of the day, Rohit Sharma attended the press conference, where he accepted he failed to read the pitch properly.
Few decisions in cricketing history have been as baffling as Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first in overcast conditions against New Zealand in Bengaluru. After winning the toss, the Indian captain opted to test himself and his batters against a relentless New Zealand attack, tailor-made for those conditions.
As it turned out, the move backfired, for no Indian batter could apply himself in the middle and fell like a pack of cards. Eventually, they were bundled on a mere 46, the lowest-ever total by a side in Asia.
The top-scorer for India was Rishabh Pant, who scored 20 runs and was only the second batter after Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) to cross the two-digit mark for India. As many as five batters, including Virat Kohli, were dismissed on a duck.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi pacers were absolutely flawless in the conditions as close to their home as possible, taking only 31.2 overs to run through a strong India lineup. Matt Henry took five wickets for 15 runs, while William O’Rourke dismissed four batters in his maiden innings in India.
Rohit Sharma accepts misjudgement while reading the pitch
Following the conclusion of the day, Rohit Sharma attended the press conference, where he accepted he failed to read the pitch properly. Rohit explained he thought the track would have something for pacers early on before it gets flat for batters.
“We felt there wasn’t grass on the pitch, we thought it would do whatever it would do in the first couple of sessions. And it will turn as the game goes on. Whenever we play in India, the first session is critical, and then spinners come into play. The reason to bring Kuldeep was he has taken wickets on flat pitches. So, we expected the pitch to be flatter than it was. Clearly, it was a misjudgment of the pitch, I didn’t read the pitch well enough. And we are in this situation today.”
Not only Rohit, but Tom Latham, New Zealand’s captain, also wanted to bat first but was denied after losing the toss. So, he also didn’t read the conditions well, or maybe it’s just that India batted poorly.
No matter how extreme the surface is, getting all out on 46 is never a good effort, and most Indian batters played rash shots. Yes, Rohit and the management didn’t read the conditions well, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for such a mediocre batting show.
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