Watch: Rohit Sharma dismissed by Jack Leach for the fourth time in this series
Rohit Sharma couldn’t kick on from Day 1 of the India vs England pink-ball Test, with the opener once again succumbing to Jack Leach. The batsman was out playing the sweep shot to the left-arm spinner, as he walked back for 66.
BCCI uploaded the video of Rohit Sharma’s dismissal on their website. You can check it out here.
Many backed Rohit Sharma to score another big hundred after his strong showing on Wednesday. The batsman looked in great touch under the lights, with his cautious approach helping him bring up his 12th half-century in Test cricket.
Moreover, Rohit Sharma started Day 2 confidently, hitting James Anderson for a couple of boundaries early on. But he failed to make the most of the opportunity, becoming Jack Leach’s latest victim.
The 33-year-old completely missed the ball while attempting to play a sweep off Jack Leach. The England spinner’s quicker delivery went under Sharma’s bat and hit him on the back leg, with the umpire giving him out straight away.
Although Rohit Sharma challenged the call, DRS didn’t come to his rescue as ball tracking showed ‘Umpire’s Call’ on impact. Hitman would surely be disappointed with the way he got out, missing out on a hundred.
Rohit Sharma’s struggles against Jack Leach in this series
The early wicket on Day 2 once again highlighted Rohit Sharma’s struggles against left-arm spin. The opener has historically struggled against such bowlers, and Jack Leach’s success against him in this tour is evidence of that.
The England bowler has dismissed Rohit Sharma four times in five innings now. He got him out with an absolute jaffa in the first Test. Leach then dismissed Rohit Sharma on both occasions in the second Test. Sharma holed one out to deep square leg in the first innings, before being stumped by a piece of Ben Foakes' brilliance in the second.
Rohit Sharma seemed to have overcome his demons against Jack Leach on Day 1 of the 3rd Test, only to fall on the following day.
With Sharma once again out while playing the sweep to Leach, he would do well to go back to his Day 1 approach when he faces the spinner next time.