2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 1st Test vs New Zealand ft. Rohit Sharma's decision at the toss
Team India went down to New Zealand by eight wickets in the first Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It was a disappointing performance from an outfit that have looked slightly off their dominant best at home in recent months.
Under Gautam Gambhir, India have been off the mark tactically on several occasions. The same trend continued in the series opener against the Kiwis, with Rohit Sharma and the team management making a series of questionable decisions.
On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the first Test against New Zealand.
#3 Mistake - Rohit Sharma decided to bat
After Day 1 of the first Test between India and New Zealand was washed out due to rain, the second day was always going to prove tough for batting. Under overcast conditions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first.
It was a strange decision from the Indian captain, considering how the conditions were. The New Zealand bowlers made the most of that to skittle India for just 46, something the hosts never recovered from.
Rohit has since come out and accepted blame for the error, but it was puzzling from a captain who has been in these situations many times before.
#2 Masterstroke - Sarfaraz Khan's shot selection behind square turned the game around for the hosts
India were always going to have an uphill battle in the second innings, and their top-order batters couldn't keep their starts going. The only man who did was 26-year-old Sarfaraz Khan, who notched up his maiden Test century and went on to convert it into a 150.
Sarfaraz is known for having a penchant for big scores, and the same has continued at the international level. The key to his success was his adaptability. When New Zealand tried to stifle him with extra bounce off the surface just outside the off-stump, he was more than happy to resort to cheeky shots that others would have considered risky.
Sarfaraz steered the ball behind square several times, often piercing the gap between the slips and gully. He also wasn't hesitant to play the ramp, which yielded him a few boundaries and prevented the Kiwi bowlers from attempting the short ball regularly.
Another batter may have avoided trying to make the most of those run-scoring opportunities, with the state of the game in the balance. Sarfaraz, however, was not only brave enough but also talented enough to execute those shots.
#1 Mistake - India's bowlers didn't go around the wicket to New Zealand's left-handers often enough
Throughout both innings of the Test, India's bowlers didn't go around the wicket often enough to New Zealand's left-handers.
Devon Conway, Tom Latham, and Rachin Ravindra are all susceptible to the incoming delivery, with Conway in particular known for having issues on his inside edge. However, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj tried to angle the ball away from them from over the wicket while using the inswinger as a variation.
It was a rather strange tactical error. While Conway and Rachin came up with game-defining contributions in both innings, only a couple of magic deliveries removed Latham.