Bengaluru, Oct 17 (IANS): India captain Rohit Sharma admitted to a costly misjudgment of the pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after India suffered a batting collapse, being bowled out for just 46 runs in the first Test against New Zealand. This marked India's lowest-ever Test score at home and their third-lowest in history.
Speaking after the second day’s play, Rohit reflected on the decision to bat first under overcast conditions, a call that backfired disastrously for the hosts. "We thought it wouldn’t help the seamers much after the first session or so. There wasn’t much grass either. We expected it to be much flatter than it turned out to be. It was a misjudgment on my part, and I couldn’t read the pitch well. I am hurting to see this score of 46 as a captain as it was my call to bat first. But one or two bad calls in a year is quite alright," Rohit admitted.
India’s collapse came just days after their triumphant Test series win in Kanpur against Bangladesh, making the rapid downfall even more shocking. Choosing to bat on a pitch that had been covered due to recent rains, India faced a devastating assault from New Zealand’s pacers, led by William O’Rourke and Matt Henry. Tim Southee initiated the collapse by removing Rohit Sharma early in the innings, and from there on, India never recovered. Five Indian batters, including Kohli, registered ducks, further highlighting the magnitude of the meltdown.
“On a pitch where there was assistance for the seamers, and now that we were bowled out for 46, you could say the shot selection wasn’t up to the mark. It was a bad day. Sometimes you plan to do something but fail to execute,” the Indian skipper added.
New Zealand, who arrived in India after a 2-0 series loss in Sri Lanka, capitalised on the moist pitch conditions. The Indian lineup, despite their confidence coming into the series, faltered as the conditions favoured seam bowling over spin. India’s decision to go with three spinners and only two pacers also came under scrutiny.
India’s strategy of promoting Kohli to the number three spot also failed. Kohli, who took responsibility for the role after discussions with the team, was dismissed for a duck, and Sarfaraz Khan, batting at number four, followed suit with a cheap dismissal. KL Rahul, batting at number six, also failed to capitalise on his familiarity with the local conditions, being dismissed without scoring.
“We don’t want to touch KL’s batting position much. He has found a place at 6, so let’s give him a rope there. Same with Sarfaraz, we wanted to give him a similar position to where he bats because he is new to international cricket as well. So Virat was the one who wanted to take responsibility. We had a discussion, and he was fine with it. That’s a good sign that players are taking responsibility,” Rohit said.
New Zealand, by contrast, made the most of the opportunity. After dismissing India for a dismal total, the visitors ended day two on 180 for 3, leading by 134 runs. Devon Conway was the standout for the visitors, scoring 91 runs, while Will Young contributed 33. Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja bagged one scalp each, but India face an uphill task to recover from their nightmare start in the series opener.