Team India had a tough outing on day one of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval in London. Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first. The decision was criticized by several former Indian cricketers including legendary Sourav Ganguly.
And it did not take Rohit Sharma and others long to realise why the experts were baffled with the call to bowl first. While India made a good start with the ball and had Australia reeling at 76 for 3 in the second session, the bowlers failed to sustain that momentum as the day progressed. Travis Head and Steve Smith sent the Indian bowlers on a leather hunt by sharing an unbeaten stand of 251 runs.
Head led Australia’s charge with the bat and remained unbeaten on 146 off just 156 balls while Smith ended the day five runs short of a century. With Australia firmly on top of the proceedings after day 1, the Indian bowlers are facing severe criticism for their performance.
India coach slams bowlers:
Following the end of the day, India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey did not mince his words as he slammed the bowlers for lacking discipline on the opening day of the crucial match. As Head took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners, only one bowler Ravindra Jadeja managed to maintain an economy-rate of less than 3.50. In the last session, Australia smashed 157 runs without losing a wicket to put themselves in the driver’s seat.
“In terms of the bowling, we could have been a little more disciplined. We started off very well. In the first 12-13 overs, we bowled in the right areas. But maybe after that, we kind of weren’t disciplined with our bowling. We conceded a little more than we would have preferred,” Paras Mhambrey told the press.
“The pitch did little bit in the morning. It seamed around a bit in the first hour. As the day progressed, the pitch got a little flatter than what we expected it would be,” he added.
Speaking further, Mhambrey was confident that India can bounce back in the game after a forgettable outing on day 1. He stated that the morning of day 2 will be very crucial for the team and picking some early wickets will help the team make a comeback.
“Why not? (Can India bounce back?) I thought conditions.. The pitch got better. We took the second new-ball and there was some seam and movement of the pitch after that. Tomorrow morning is very important for us. If we pick up one or two early wickets, we definitely have the opportunity to come back into the contest,” he said.