Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden slams Steve Smith over his couple of catch drops while standing at the slip on the 1st day of the Nagpur Test.
Hayden Slams Steve Smith Over His Catch Drop
During the Australia tour of India 2023, 4 Tests and 3 ODI matches will be played between February 9 to March 22.
During the 1st Test at Nagpur, winning the toss Australia chose to bat first and scored just 177 runs for 10 wickets loss. Jadeja and Ashwin bagged 5 and 3 wickets respectively and stuns everyone.
Smith dropped Rohit and Jadeja’s catch while standing at slip on day 2 of the Nagpur test.
While the chance from Rohit was quite difficult, Jadeja’s edge on the second last delivery of the day was more or less a comfortable opportunity. The call came at a good height for Smith as the first slip but he was late to react to it and it ended up hitting his arm and falling to the ground.
“What a nightmare this is for a slips fieldsman,” former Australian batter Matthew Hayden said on-air. “Sort of remained unsighted there. Should have made a better effort than that. Concentration factor – second last ball of the day. Bang. Gotta be on!” Hayden said at the end of the day’s play.
Mark Waugh Comment On the Move
A similar sentiment was echoed by compatriot Mark Waugh who explained the situation. “It’s like he doesn’t think the ball will come to him, looks away from the game. You have got to read the play. You have got to pretend you are actually batting when you are fielding at first slip to the spinners.”
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar also had his say on the topic. “Absolutely, he wasn’t bending low. I don’t think he was expecting the catch to come there.”
He further added, “The back isn’t bent and the catch came towards the knee. So that can make a difference. Yes, it’s been a long day. It’s been a tiring day, but the last couple of deliveries is where your concentration is most tested. Tough day for Steve Smith, he’ll feel it. he’s a good catcher.”
Steve Smith scored 37 runs in the first inning and makes a lone fight in the second inning.
As far as the match is concerned, India has the upper hand in the 1st Test of BGT 2023. As of now, Australia scored 68 runs for 7 wickets loss in their 2nd inning and trail by 155 runs.
Steve Smith and Todd Murphy stand at the crease while Ashwin and Jadeja were the only two bowlers to bag wickets for India on Day 3.
