Australia great Matthew Hayden has lambasted Rohit Sharma, claiming that he displayed a sense of arrogance on the first day of the ongoing Indore Test match. According to the former Australian opener, Rohit’s performance was a combination of complacency and arrogance. Hayden, who is in India for commentary duties, also noted that Rohit played some regrettable shots during his time in the middle.
Rohit departed for 12 off 23 balls on the first day. The Indian captain stepped down to Matthew Kuhnemann to play a big shot, but unfortunately missed the ball completely and was stumped. It is worth noting that Rohit had survived twice before being dismissed for a meager score.
“I think there are some forgettable shots, no doubt about it. Rohit Sharma – and I’ve always said this about Test match cricket – the captain leads from the front. So that dismissal is something he will look back and think – Maybe I was a little lazy, maybe I was a little apprehensive,” Hayden told Star Sports.
“Winning the toss, you want to make a big impression, want to enforce that dominance onto Australia, who are depleted. They don’t have their captain, they don’t have David Warner. Lots to lose for them, including not being in that Test Championship [final]. I think [there was] maybe a little bit of complacency mixed with a little bit of arrogancy as well,” he added.
Rohit Sharma had a new opening partner in Shubman Gill for the third Test, and the young batsman got off to a positive start, but unfortunately failed to convert it into a substantial knock, being dismissed for 21 off 18. The opening pair of Rohit and Gill added 27 runs for the first wicket, but Rohit’s dismissal triggered India’s collapse, and the home team was bowled out for a meagre total of 109. Matthew Kuhnemann was the chief destroyer with the ball, taking a five-wicket haul.
Barring Ravindra Jadeja, the rest of the Indian bowlers struggled, allowing Australia to finish the day with a score of 156 on the board. Jadeja was the sole wicket-taker for India, taking a four-wicket haul. Australia leads by 47 runs and will be looking to extend their lead past the century mark.
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