"Common sense seems to be lacking" - Manoj Tiwary questions Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir over defeat in IND vs NZ 2024 1st Test
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary questioned the decisions taken by captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir during the first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. According to Tiwary, their decisions seemed to lack common sense.
India went down to the Kiwis by eight wickets in the Bengaluru Test. Batting first after winning the toss under conditions favorable for pace bowlers, the hosts were bundled out for 46. India fought back strongly with the bat in their second innings, but it was not enough to undo the damage caused by the first-innings collapse.
During an interaction on Cricbuzz, Tiwary criticized the Indian think tank over their thought process in the Bengaluru Test. He commented:
"Sometimes I don't understand the decisions. Common sense seems to be lacking. What the coach or captain is trying to prove, is beyond my understanding. I feel like, whenever there is a new coach or new captain, they try to prove something and take such decisions."
The 38-year-old also questioned the decision to under bowl Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 5, with the Kiwis needing only 107 runs for victory. The Indian off-spinner bowled only two overs in the second innings and was brought on with the visitors on the verge of victory.
"I knew that one of the spinners would be under-bowled, but I never imagined that it would be Ashwin. He has over 500 Test wickets. When you are defending 107, why didn't you bring him in the attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah? Good captains also make mistakes, because a lot of things go through your mind. Here, the role of the coach to give constant guidance is very important, but I don't know why that did not happen," Tiwary wondered.
Chasing 107, New Zealand lost skipper Tom Latham (0) and Devon Conway (17) to the guile of Jasprit Bumrah. However, Will Young (48*) and Rachin Ravindra (39*) combined to add an unbroken 75 for the third wicket and lift their team to an easy win.
How Rohit Sharma performed as batter in the IND vs NZ 2024 1st Test
After India decided to bat first in the Test, skipper Rohit was the first wicket to fall. He was cleaned up by Tim Southee for two as he charged down the track and missed a ball that nipped back. In the second innings, he was again bowled, this time by Ajaz Patel for 52. Rohit defended a delivery, but ball bounced backwards and went on to hit the stumps.
The second Test of the India vs New Zealand series will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune from October 24 to October 28.