Australia’s legendary Cricketer Ricky Ponting has criticised Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for his poor shot selection which led to his dismissal on day 02 of the fourth test played at Melbourne.
After opening for India, Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 3 on a short length outside off losing the first wicket for 8 runs.
Rohit Sharma’s pull shot is one of the most iconic in his batting style and is one of the key weapons in his arsenal across all formats. The Indian captain epitomizes why he is often referred to as one of the most gifted batters of his generation.
But when he is going though a horrendous run of form with the bat like nowadays, his famed pull shot, like other aspects of his batting, can appear less effectiveness and sometimes risky.
The pull shot is usually a source of runs and dominance may become a liability if mistimes or misjudged.
And that’s exactly what happened on the second day of the Boxing day test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
“That is just a lazy, not switched on, not up for the moment type of shot. He has been known as one of the best hookers and pullers of the ball since he made his debut, but that is just not there, it is nothing. It is not committed. It is not looking to be aggressive. He is just looking to tap it on the head,” said Ricky Ponting.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is gone for just three runs! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/m1fLiqKLO7
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 27, 2024
“Might have held in the wicket, yes, might have seamed away from him a fraction, but if you are going to survive against this Australian attack you have to be switched on and making good decisions. If you are not, they will knock you over every time,” said Ponting.
Similar criticisem for Rohit’s choice of shot came from former Australia cricket Darren Lehmann. “If he’s going to hit it, hit it Rohit. You’re a class player, you should actually take that on. Plenty of room in the outfield, take it on,” said Darren Lehmann.
Former Cricketer captain Michael Vaughan also slammed Rohit Sharma for his lazy dismissal. “That’s a really big mistake … it was a nothing shot. He is just (hit it) too early in the innings and hasn’t got used to the pace and bounce. It’s a sad state for the Indian captain, averaging 11 in his past 14 Test innings.”
Coming to the match Australia scored 474 runs in their first innings. However, India scored only 165/5 with Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease by the end of day 02 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
