Bengaluru: It was a clear error in judgment which resulted in Team India’s ignominous batting show on Day 2 of the opening Test against New Zealand.
Skittled out for a paltry 46 – their lowest total in a home Test match — India saw New Zealand cruising to 180/3 at stumps here on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma and the apparently invincible Indian team were left red-faced as they stared at an embarrassing home defeat.
The skipper, who chose to bat first under an overcast sky and in pacer-friendly conditions, did admit to a costly misjudgment of the pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“We thought it won’t help the seamers much after the first session or so. There wasn’t much grass (on the pitch) 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,” quipped Rohit at the press conference after the day’s play.
He tried to console himself by saying that “one or two bad calls in a year” is alright.
At least he had the courage to face the press and own up his folly.
After the entire opening day was abandoned due to rain and wet outfield, the Indian first innings lasted just 31.2 overs.
Only Rishabh Pant (20) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) managed double-digit scores, while five batters – Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin – failed to open their account as Matt Henry (5/15) and William O’Rourke (4/22) wreaked havoc.
“On a pitch where there was assistance for the seamers, and now that we have been bowled out for 46, you could say shot selection wasn’t up to the mark. It was a bad day. Sometimes you plan to do something but fail to execute,” Rohit observed without being too critical of his teammates.
New Zealand arrived in India after a 0-2 series loss in Sri Lanka, while India blanked Bangladesh 2-0 in a home Test series.
