Rohit Sharma’s decisions in the ongoing Test series between India and New Zealand have been under the scanner. The Indian captain has not only been criticized for his poor form with the bat but also for his decisions as a captain.
During the second day of the Mumbai Test, Rohit’s another decision was proven wrong. This time, it involved India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The pitch at Mumbai started turning square as all of India’s spinners came into the picture.
Watch: Ravindra Jadeja bamboozles Matt Henry with a stunning delivery in the Mumbai Test
Rohit Sharma ignores Ravichandran Ashwin’s request
Ravichandran Ashwin had requested Rohit Sharma to bowl Ravindra Jadeja from a particular end but the Indian captain turned down the suggestion. But later on, Rohit changed Jadeja’s ends.
The left-arm spinner responded by getting the big wickets of Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell. The end from which Ashwin was suggesting Jadeja to bowl was the same end from which the left-arm spinner had taken a five-wicket haul in the first innings.
The call to bowl Ravindra Jadeja from that end proved right during the end of the 21st over when he beat Will Young’s outside edge from a ball that turned square from middle stump to go into Rishabh Pant’s gloves over the top of off-stump.
The conversation between Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin was confirmed by the commentators Murali Kartik and Simon Doull. The commentators spoke about how Rohit did not listen to Ashwin earlier but had to change his decision late.
“In between overs, (Ravichandran) Ashwin went up to Rohit (Sharma), asking his captain to change the end Ravindra Jadeja is bowling from. Rohit immediately quashed it.Jadeja is getting decent purchase from the end he is bowling from,” Murali Kartik said during commentary.
Listening to Kartik’s comments on Jadeja, Simon Doull too praised his ball. “That was pretty quick, wasn’t it?” asked Simon Doull.
A few balls later, Rohit decided to listen to Ashwin’s advice and it paid dividends. Ravindra Jadeja picked up the big wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. However, the credit for Mitchell’s wicket goes to Ashwin as he ran back and kept his eyes on the ball to take an outstanding catch.
Ravindra Jadeja shines in the second innings too
A few balls later, Jadeja bowled a slider to hit Blundell’s inside edge and the ball smashed into his off stump to knock it out of the ground. It was a brilliant passage of play for Jadeja, who brought India back into the game with some brilliant left-arm spin bowling.
Meanwhile, New Zealand were 171-9 at stumps on Day 2, thanks to a brilliant fifty from Will Young. Young batted beautifully on a wicket where most batters from both teams struggled.
Ravindra Jadeja was again the pick of the bowlers for India with four wickets in the second innings. Ravichandran Ashwin gave him good company and picked up three wickets. Fast bowler Akash Deep and Washington Sundar also picked up a wicket each. New Zealand currently lead by 143 runs with one more wicket remaining.
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