3 mistakes Rohit Sharma made in the 1st SA vs IND 2023 Test
Team India slumped to an embarrassing defeat by an innings and 32 runs in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at the Super Sport Park in Centurion. Rohit Sharma and company were outplayed across all departments and the ensuing defeat extended India's wait for a Test series win in South Africa.
The Indian youngsters struggled in alien conditions, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Prasidh Krishna having forgettable outings. The only positive for the visitors came in the form of KL Rahul, who scored one of the best hundreds by an Indian batter in overseas conditions.
South Africa made the most of the conditions and were at their lethal best with both the bat and ball and the same could not be said for India. The batters did not show enough grit to survive on the challenging surface while the bowling unit lacked potency.
The pressure mounts on skipper Rohit Sharma as Team India have made a poor start to the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
On that note, let us take a look at three mistakes Rohit Sharma made in the first SA vs IND 2023 Test.
#1 Opening the bowling with Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna
The game was arguably well poised at Lunch on Day 2. India recovered from an early collapse to score 245, which was deemed a par score considering the pitch and challenging conditions.
The visitors had struck early too, with Mohammed Siraj dismissing Aiden Markram for just five runs in the fourth over. The Proteas somehow survived the onslaught with the new ball and avoided losing any more wickets until Lunch.
In a surprising move, Rohit Sharma began the second session of the day with the pair of Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur. The support bowlers began with successive maiden overs but then proceeded to leak 42 runs off the next six overs.
Dean Elgar and Tony de Zorzi settled in this period and South Africa never turned back from that point onwards. By the time Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj came into the attack, it was a bit too late as South Africa reached a comfortable position by then.
#2 Failed to rally his troops
Even if they let the game slide past them on the second day, Team India were still in the hunt. South Africa had an 11-run lead and four wickets in hand (Temba Bavuma was injured). However, what followed was one of the most dismal days in Indian cricketing history overseas.
Dean Elgar and Marco Jansen looked at ease and managed to stretch the hosts' lead to an imposing margin of 163 runs. While the game was seemingly out of India's grasp, hardly a few expected them to bundle out in one session and by an innings.
The bowling performance, in particular, was quite flat, as India just stood transfixed while Elgar and Jansen piled on the runs. The body language on the field was far from inspiring, leading to former skipper Sunil Gavaskar to brand the team 'listless'.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri also pointed out that it is the captain and the wicketkeeper's task to uplift the team, but Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul cut subdued figures at best.
The skipper was not assertive enough or did not encourage the team to ignite a spark that would have helped India claw their way out of a tricky situation.
#3 Let South Africa run away with the game in no time (No plan B)
Being on the back foot in challenging overseas conditions is not something that can be avoided. However, playing to the best of the ability to overturn the situation is always an option, and that certain element was missing from Team India in the first Test.
Rohit Sharma lagged in terms of tactics, and the changes he made certainly did not pay off. Granted that Team India possess enough quality in their midst for their plan A to work almost every time. However, at certain times, even the best well-laid-out plans can falter, which requires a certain plan B to be implemented for a change.
The lack of an alternative plan was clear as Rohit Sharma stuck with the same strategy, hoping for a different result that did not transpire.
What changes should India consider for the second Test of the series against South Africa? Let us know what you think.