Bengaluru – Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his surprise at some of the tactical decisions made by captain Rohit Sharma during India’s defeat against New Zealand in the first Test match in Bengaluru.
Talking to the media, Manjrekar said Rohit’s choices on the fifth and final day when New Zealand were chasing their target of 107 runs seemed puzzling. With the visitors scoring freely, Rohit waited till the 11th over to introduce his main spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, even though the off-spinner has enjoyed great success on home pitches.
Instead, pacer Mohammed Siraj was given a lengthy spell of 6 overs despite leaking runs without success. “Giving so many overs to a pacer when runs were flowing freely and the match situation demanded wickets didn’t seem the best option,” remarked Manjrekar.
He further added that bringing Ashwin earlier could have put pressure on the batsmen and possibly led to some dismissals. Rohit’s tactics on this crucial final day were reportedly his weakest link according to the veteran commentator.
Despite the disappointing result, Rohit praised the resilience shown by the team after conceding a big first innings deficit. Two century partnerships helped India set a small target after following on. However, one defeat has now ended their unbeaten run of 18Tests at home.
With two more matches remaining, India will be hoping to level the series under their new full-time captain Rohit. But questions will remain over some aspects of his leadership after the Bengaluru reverse.
