Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has not shied away from expressing his displeasure over Rohit Sharma’s decision to bowl first against Australia in the ongoing ICC WTC Final at the Oval in London.
The India captain won a good toss on Wednesday (June 7) and decided to bowl first. And while only time will tell whether his decision was right or not, Sourav Ganguly was not too impressed with the call. One of India’s greatest captains, the former cricketer, who is part of the commentary panel for the ongoing WTC final, criticized the decision.
Speaking on air after Rohit’s decision, the former cricketer-turned-commentator said that he is not a big fan of bowling first after winning the toss. At the same time, he also defended Rohit’s decision, saying that the India skipper might have taken a decision because of the one-off Test. Ganguly opined that Rohit would not have made the same call if it was a series of few Tests.
“I am not a big fan of winning the toss and bowling first. It is a one-off game, and I think that’s why Rohit decided to go for bowling. Remember, India won the Test against England by batting first after winning the toss on the last tour.
“They were bowled out for 190 odd but won the contest on the fifth day. Had it been a series of few games, Rohit would have batted today,” said Ganguly.
No advantage for Team India, reckons Sourav Ganguly:
Speaking further, Sourav Ganguly said that winning the toss is not an advantage for Team India. The India great stated that even dismissing Australia for a low score would not be an advantage until and unless Rohit Sharma & Co. themselves score big.
“India don’t have a big advantage as they will have to bat well in the first innings. Winning the toss and dismissing rivals on a below-par score will not help until they put up a big score on the board,” he said.