Gavaskar cuts past Rohit and Pujara after India loses the World Tennis 🏆 final against Australia. "Why on earth did he do that?"
When Australia's skipper Pat Cummins handed the ball to off-spinner Natha Lyon, India was scoring at over five runs per over and had reached 91 for one at one point in the second innings. Against the Australian quicks, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara were scoring frequently. Lyon made the decision to circle the wicket, possibly to stop the run-flow initially before searching for wickets. He used a slip and a short-leg to manoeuvre. Despite the Oval pitch's trickery, it was still a decent one for batting. Lyon's opening ball was guarded by Rohit, who has previously faced the Australian pacers with ruthlessness. But he had already made up his mind in his head not to let Lyon rest. He chose to let the off-spinner bowl the following ball.despite being aware of his aims, he made the wrong shot.
Also read: Rohit Sharma's Test captaincy future in doubt after WTC final loss, selectors to take call after WI series: Report
The India skipper going for a sweep shot was Lyon's best and possibly only chance to get Rohit out from that angle. That is what he did. Which is worse? He debated whether to simply tap it fine or attempt the full-force slog. It was already too late by the time he made up his decision. The front of his pads were directly struck by the ball. Richard Illingworth, the umpire, had no reluctance in waving his finger. Rohit was beyond help, not even a review. He had 43 steps to walk back.
Pujara, who had already smashed five fours in his 47-ball stay, played an even more unusual shot in the following over. Instead of diving beneath or swaying away from a Pat Cummins delivery that was pounded midway through, Pujara went for the ramp shot. The outcome was terrible. Alex Carey, the custodian for Australia, gave him a light tickle, which he cheerfully welcomed. Thanks to those two strokes from Rohit and Pujara, India lost all of its momentum in just six balls after forcing Australia to the back line.
Sunil Gavaskar, a legendary cricketer from India, criticised Rohit and Pujara harshly following the team's lacklustre performance in the final. The disappointing part of the Indian innings, in my opinion, was the shot selection made by the captain Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara, Gavaskar wrote in his Mid-day column.
By Pujara's shot, Gavaskar was even more perplexed. The veteran of 103 Test matches claimed to have no explanations for why he took that kind of shot just minutes after losing his captain, according to the former India captain.
"It is unclear why Pujara tried a ramp shot as he rarely uses that type of stroke. It also called into question the reasoning at the moment to even attempt it two deliveries after Rohit was out. Why on earth did Pujara look to play that shot when wicket preservation was more important than scoring runs? Pujara is renowned for his patience and willingness to endure hits while remaining in the crease. According to Gavaskar, "Pressure can cause a player to act strangely, which is why Test cricket is the highest level of the game and the World Test Championship final is the pinnacle Test match.
Up to the game's conclusion, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane were successful in fending off additional danger.On Day 4, though, India's final 7 wickets fell like a house of cards, and Australia won the World T20 for the first time.
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