Despite leading by 190 runs in the first innings, India ultimately gave England a significant edge.
On Day 4 of the first Test of the five-match series, England shocked India by defeating the hosts by 28 runs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Following a disastrous opening innings deficit of 190 runs, England pulled off an incredible victory thanks to a valiant 196 from Ollie Pope (278). Later, in an attempt to reach230, India was bowled out for 202 as rookie Tom Hartley scored 7/62 to set up an England victory from a deficit.
In the third session of Day 3, India notably lost the plot as Pope and Ben Foakes combined to increase their lead to 85 runs with a 112-run stand. Pope could easily vary his strikes throughout that phase and the Day 4 morning session, when India skipper Rohit Sharma placed defensive fields to halt the run flow.
Dinesh Karthik, a cricketer turned analyst, expressed his opinion about India’s performance and said that Rohit should take a more aggressive approach as captain during the second Test by preventing bowlers from setting a field on their own.
“India didn’t bowl well at all. In the upcoming Test, Rohit Sharma must make sure he rejects any fielding that the bowler attempts. Frequently, I have observed bowlers trying to be more defensive than necessary. At the very least, he wants to encourage the bowlers to set slightly offensive fields against the opposition bowlers and batters who have just arrived, Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Karthik went on to say that we should press harder against the tailenders and make it difficult for them to rotate the strike.
In Test cricket, Rohit Sharma must realize that, in addition to his batting, he must attack and demonstrate intent with the ball. A twisting pitch does not make it easy for a No. 9 or No. 10 batter to come up and take singles. He shouldn’t permit that to happen. It’s imperative to take charge at that moment, and they failed to do so with the ball, Karthik continued.
DL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are excluded from the second Test
The second Test, which is set to start in Visakhapatnam on Friday, February 02, has ruled out Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. During the first game on Day 4, Jadeja suffered a hamstring injury while Rahul reported experiencing soreness in his right quadriceps. As replacements, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Saurabh Kumar have been announced by the BCCI.
