"I think he'd be kicking himself because there were plenty of runs to be had here" - Pietersen criticizes Rohit Sharma's lazy approach in 2nd Test
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen lambasted Rohit Sharma's batting approach on the opening day of the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Friday, February 2. The Indian skipper employed a rather timid approach and was dismissed by debutant Shoaib Bashir after scoring 14 runs off 41 deliveries.
Rohit tried to play a glance off the delivery that turned into him, but could not cope with the extra turn as the ball found Ollie Pope at leg slip. The opening batter could not get into a rhythm on a relatively good batting surface, with his innings eventually ending without a single boundary.
Pietersen stated that there were runs on offer for Rohit, who had laid out a foundation of sorts. The former player expressed his surprise on commentary over the manner with which the Indian skipper chose to build his innings.
“It doesn't matter who you get out to, you can get out to anybody. I think he'd [Rohit Sharma] be kicking himself because there were plenty of runs to be had here. On this wicket, against a very young and inexperienced bowling attack, he will be looking at his dismissal and thinking, 'How on earth did I get myself out here?'”, Kevin Pietersen said on-air.
“That (the dismissal) was quite lazy. Yes, it is instinctive to knock the ball towards the leg side. But there was no urgency in what led to the dismissal. There was no urgency to try and get off the strike. These guys are expansive from ball one in T20 cricket, they play so beautifully. We have not seen huge spin, massive bounce, or anything that should pose any fear in the batter's mind", he added.
Rohit Sharma had spoken about the lack of intent that the batters had shown in the final innings of the series opener in Hyderabad. Despite a bizarre innings from the skipper to begin the second Test with, the rest of the batters have shown intent, resulting in India scoring at a rate close to four runs per over, making the most of the conditions before it potentially and gradually deteriorates.
"It looked like his innings was in slow motion" - Kevin Pietersen on Rohit Sharma's knock
Rohit Sharma's opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal has been progressing well in his innings, playing with a strike rate close to 70, while Shubman Gill also showed intent in his brief stay at the crease.
Kevin Pietersen praised Gill's intent, although the latter failed to convert his start into anything significant. The young batter scored 34 runs off 46 deliveries before being dismissed by James Anderson in the closing stages of the first session.
“Gill played nicely, I thought. There was an intensity in him. There was a lack of intensity in Rohit; it looked like his innings was in slow motion,” Pietersen concluded
Team India are progressing well in the second innings despite losing Shreyas Iyer's wicket. At the time of writing, the hosts were placed at 202-3 after 57 overs, with Jaiswal scoring his second Test hundred, and Rajat Patidar playing his first-ever innings in international cricket.