"I was surprised at how Rohit Sharma reacted" - Wasim Jaffer on Indian skippers's dismissal on Day 1 of 3rd IND vs AUS Test

Wasim Jaffer stated that he was shocked to see Indian skipper Rohit Sharma get out stumped on Day 1 of the third Test against Australia in Indore on Wednesday, March 1.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer emphasized that Indian batters wanted to score runs quickly on the dust bowl. Speaking about Rohit's dismissal, Wasim Jaffer added that he didn't expect the right-handed batter to get out in such a fashion.

"I think the Indian batters reacted," Jaffer added. "The delivery from Mitchell Starc, dust coming out, and the ball spun with the new ball. I was surprised at how Rohit Sharma reacted to that. He straightaway swept one ball, missed and then went down the track and got stumped."

Notably, Rohit got out to left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann after scoring 12 runs. The senior batter danced down the track, trying to play a lofted shot in an attempt to break the shackles. However, he was deceived by the flight and was beaten in the air. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey completed a difficult take and stumped the Indian captain.

Jaffer opined that the hosts would have been better off safeguarding their wickets in the morning session, as it was quite challenging to bat during that period. Expressing his displeasure over the Indian batters' approach, he added:

"I thought India reacted very aggressively, which I don't think they needed to because the pitch had moisture and the ball was bound to spin a little bit more. Had they batted up until the first session without losing too many wickets, India would have been better.

"I thought India were pretty poor in the way they approached. The wicket, in the second half, settled down, and Australia applied themselves really well."

The ball on which Rohit Sharma got out turned 8.3 😯😯 https://t.co/a52nGy04KP

India were bundled out for a paltry score of 109 on the opening day. Virat Kohli (22) and Shubman Gill (21) were the only two batters who were able to cross the 20-run mark.

For Australia, Kuhnemann starred with the ball, picking up his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

"Didn't really trust their defence" - Aakash Chopra's assessment on Indian batters' performance on Day 1 of 3rd IND vs AUS Test

Former opener Aakash Chopra, who was a part of the same panel, echoed the same sentiments as Wasim Jaffer. He opined that Rohit Sharma and Co. didn't trust their defense on Day 1.

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckoned that the home team made the same mistakes that Australia made during the first two Test matches of the series.

"There was a lot of bite on the surface," Chopra said. "These are pitches where batting is not easy. India were ultra-aggressive and didn't really trust their defence as much. Exactly the same kind of things that we said about the Australian batting in the first couple of Test matches hold true for the Indian batting lineup as well."

In response, the Australian batters came up with an improved performance. Opener Usman Khawaja hit a crucial half-century, scoring 60 runs off 147 deliveries. Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith also chipped in with valuable knocks of 31 and 26 runs, respectively.

That's Stumps on Day 1⃣ of the third #INDvAUS Test!

4️⃣ wickets so far for @imjadeja as Australia finish the day with 156/4.

We will be back with LIVE action on Day 2.

Scorecard - bit.ly/INDvAUS-2023-3… #TeamIndia @mastercardindia https://t.co/osXIdrf9iW

Australia finished 156/4 on stumps. For India, Ravindra Jadeja continued his stellar form with the ball, picking up all four Aussie wickets that fell on the opening day.