Indian captain Rohit Sharma was absolutely livid with himself when he was dismissed for 35 on day three of the fourth Test against Australia in Ahmedabad. It was pretty much a nothing delivery from left-arm spinner Matthew Kunhemann, which was dropped short.
Rohit’s eyes lit up for a backfoot punch and he got himself in a great position to play the shot. However, the ball just seemed to stop a bit after pitching and the batter still went through with his shot.
This resulted in Rohit Sharma finding Marnus Labuschagne at short cover, who completed a simple catch. Rohit just couldn’t believe what he had done as he smashed his pads with his bat in anger while returning to the pavilion.
Fans on Twitter were disappointed to see the Indian captain throw away such a great start. Many felt that with conditions great for batting, there was a hundred for Rohit to take. Here are some of the reactions:
India banking on Shubman Gill to go big
The hosts started the opening session really well, scoring 28 runs in the opening five overs. Both Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma took on Mitchell Starc and didn’t miss out on any loose deliveries.
Just then, veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon began creating pressure from one end. He got the ball to misbehave by pitching the ball into the rough and that probably sowed the seeds of doubt into the batters’ minds.
In a bid to break the shackles, Rohit played a loose shot and got dismissed. But Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara have ensured that India didn’t lose any other wicket in the first session. The hosts finished their first session on day three at 129/1 and will be keen to build on the 55-run partnership that Gill and Pujara have added so far.