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"A misjudgment": Rohit Sharma rues the decision to bat first against New Zealand at Chinnaswamy
What transpired on Day 2 of the first India vs New Zealand Test was an absolute nightmare for India. To be all out at a mere 46 at their home turf was nothing that the hosts expected coming to Chinnaswamy to face the white ferns. However, too many elements worked together against the team which led to them registering their lowest Test score at home. The match started on Thursday after the opening day was abandoned due to incessant rain in Bengaluru. As the play kicked off on Day 2, skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bat first in the overcast conditions, a move that predictably played out of favour for India.
Rohit Sharma accepts that his judgement at toss backfired against India
India suffered one of its most dismal days in Test cricket on Day 2 of the opening India vs New Zealand Test in Bengaluru, being bowled out for a mere 46 runs. On a pitch that provided significant assistance to the seamers, Sharma's decision to bat first swiftly backfired for India. New Zealand's pacers made the most of the conditions, consistently troubling the Indian batters from the start. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal initially survived the opening half-hour, but neither looked comfortable at the crease. Once Rohit fell, a cascade of wickets followed.
With Shubman Gill unavailable, Virat Kohli came in at No. 3 but made no impact as William O'Rourke trapped him at a nine-ball duck. Sarfaraz Khan, who earned an entry in the team following Gill's unavailability failed to score as well. The middle-order pick came in at 4 but similary to Kohli departed at a duck against Matt Henry. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal with 13 off 63 and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant with 20 off 49 managed to reach double digits in a dismal Indian innings. Matt Henry (5/15) and William O'Rourke (4/22) tore through India's lineup, making quick work of the batting order.
When it came the turn of New Zealand to bat at the Chinnaswamy turf, it clearly showed how the decision to bat first was the key element in India's failure. Bowling with a spin-heavy lineup, India faced significant challenge against Devon Conway and Tom Latham. While Latham registered just 15 before Kuldeep claimed him lbw, Conway rushed off to 95. In the post-day press conference, Rohit Sharma admitted to misreading the pitch. India had opted for a two-spinner strategy, while New Zealand, reading the conditions better, didn’t even introduce a spinner during India's brief first innings.
“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," Rohit explained.
"Clearly, it was a misjudgment of the pitch, I didn't read the pitch well enough. And we are in this situation today,” accepted Rohit.
With an 87-run partnership between Devon Conway and Will Young, New Zealand has already imposed a lead of 134 runs over India. Moreover, the Kiwis have Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell unbeaten to start off Day 3 promising to extend the dominance further. Indian pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have proved ineffective so far with spinners R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja managing a wicket each.
