Opting to field first in the Gabba Test: A blunder by Rohit Sharma? Hayden weighs in

The opening day of the third BGT Test witnessed only the toss proceeding unhindered by the rain. Winning the toss, Indian captain Rohit Sharma put Australia to bat first under the heavy cloud cover at the Gabba. The skipper, who lost the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy by 10 wickets in Adelaide, reasoned that the visitors would like to exploit the ample grass cover and overcast conditions. Sharma explained that the turf would get better for batting as the match progressed, thus opting to field first in this crucial Test. How Sharma's plan will pan out remains a mystery now that the first day of the Gabba Test has been washed out due to incessant rain in Brisbane.

"Bad choice," says Matthew Hayden about Rohit Sharma electing to field first in the Gabba Test

The decision by Rohit Sharma to bowl first in the third BGT Test at the Gabba has puzzled the fraternity. Assessing the turf as soft and combining it with the cloud cover at the venue, the Indian skipper considered bowling the ideal scenario after winning the toss. Pat Cummins reiterated the soundness of this decision, exclaiming that he would have opted to do the same had the coin fallen in his favor. However, cricket pundits have questioned Sharma's call in the Gabba Test.

Former Australian great Matthew Hayden has pegged Australia as the favorite to win the Gabba Test, with a significant part of his prediction influenced by India’s choice at the toss. Hayden, who considers the Brisbane venue his home ground, emphasized that the Gabba has historically been a batting paradise during the first three days of a Test.

“I’m buying Australia [to win the series]. I’m buying them in this Test match,” said Hayden. “I’m buying at the toss, the fact that the captain of India, I felt, made a bad choice at the toss. This is a very good batting wicket; batting here is always so damn good in the first three days," he added.

The legendary batter further highlighted that the Gabba Test will set the tone for the remainder of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The five-match series is currently poised at 1-1 after India won the opening Test in Perth. Australia avenged the loss by winning the pink-ball Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets. Whichever side triumphs in Brisbane will gain a 2-1 lead in the BGT. The last two contests are slated for Melbourne and Sydney, and Hayden is of the opinion that the Kangaroos will finally reclaim the trophy after a decade, as Rohit Sharma appears to have fumbled in the Gabba Test.

“This Test match will set up the rest of the series, where they will probably come back into their own a little bit, in particular in Sydney,” said the big southpaw. “But this Test match, and Melbourne, there’s not an Aussie on the planet who doesn’t love the Boxing Day Test match. So it’s all Australia that my money is going towards,” Hayden said.