Rohit thought he had played a fine defensive shot but was lazy enough not to keep an eye on the ball, for it often spins back to the stumps after defending.
Rohit Sharma got out in an unfortunate way after a well-compiled half-century on the fifth delivery of the 22nd over. He had just completed his fifty and needed to convert it into a big one, for India were massively behind New Zealand’s first-innings score.
Ajaz Patel bowled a length delivery on the off-stump line, and Rohit came forward and defended with a straight bat. However, he didn’t notice the ball was going towards the stumps, and just before he could spot the ball, it hit the stumps, dislodging the bails in a flash.
Rohit thought he had played a fine defensive shot but was lazy enough not to keep an eye on the ball, for it often spins back to the stumps after defending. He couldn’t believe his luck and shook his head in disappointment, with Virat Kohli at the other end also looking in disbelief.
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Rohit shouted in anger but had to leave the field after completing his fifty. The stage was set for a big hundred from the Indian captain, for he was largely unperturbed against the bowling unit of New Zealand and played his shots with ease, but his innings ended prematurely.
After New Zealand piled on a massive 402 in their first innings, Indian batters had their task cut out, for they trailed by a massive 356 runs. Indian openers started on a positive note, with the two batters – Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal – going unscathed in the second dig.
However, Jaiswal played a rash shot in a bid to up the ante and was stumped on a score of 35 in 52 balls, including six boundaries. Meanwhile, Rohit continued batting and brought up a well-made 52 before this unfortunate dismissal as India lost two wickets inside 100 runs.
Since then, Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan have started the rebuilding process and formed a fine partnership. Both have been aggressive and kept Ajaz, India’s biggest threat, in check.
They would need to continue this stand as long as possible and take India closer to New Zealand’s score. India are 172/2 at the moment, with Virat Kohli batting on 40, while Sarfaraz Khan unbeaten on 43.
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