Rohit Sharma, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar
Rohit Sharma, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar

Former India cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri were not happy with the poor captaincy by Rohit Sharma in the ongoing second Test between India and New Zealand. This match is being played at the MCA Stadium in Pune from October 24, 2024.

New Zealand, leading the three-Test series 1-0, triumphed at the toss as Tom Latham called correctly and decided to bat first. New Zealand had to make one forced change as Matt Henry, who picked five wickets in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test was out with a niggle.

India, on the other hand, made three changes as Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and KL Rahul were dropped and were replaced by Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Shubman Gill in the playing XI.

New Zealand took full advantage of the sunny weather in Pune, batting first and getting off to a terrific start. In dry and humid conditions, Indian pacers bowled only six overs with the new ball before skipper Rohit Sharma called Ravichandran Ashwin into the attack. The off-spinner delivered instantly, eliminating Latham in his first over.

However, Rohit’s poor captaincy enabled Devon Conway and Will Young to create a 44-run stand to steady the ship for India. Rohit helped the pair settle and build a partnership by spreading the field and providing easy singles. Rohit should have put pressure on the incoming batter right away by targeting field placements.

Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri tear into Rohit Sharma for his poor captaincy

Rohit’s captaincy was slammed on the air by former India opener Sunil Gavaskar, who called Rohit a ‘negative’ and ‘defensive’ captain. Gavaskar had also questioned India’s team selection and said that the hosts may have panicked by including Washington Sundar in the playing XI ahead of Kuldeep Yadav.

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On the other hand, former India head coach Ravi Shastri was also unhappy with the way Rohit Sharma set his fields for his ace spinners R Ashwin and Washington Sundar in the first hour of the play.

He was heard saying on air: “India were a little too defensive with the spinners in the first session“.

At the time of writing this article, Devon Conway’s 78 and fifty by Rachin Ravindra had put New Zealand on the path of a big score. Tom Latham (15), Will Young (18) and Conway all fell to the magic of Ravichandran Ashwin. The rest of the bowlers including pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep proved ineffective on the Pune surface.

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