"Maintains his overseas average like a class" - Twitterati trolls Rohit Sharma for throwing away yet another start
Indian opener Rohit Sharma failed to convert yet another start into a big score in the longest format of the game as he perished for 26 runs on Day 2 of the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
The 33-year-old was looking good to get a big score after a positive start. But just then, he chipped one straight back to Josh Hazlewood, who completed a simple caught and bowled.
Trailing by 338 runs, Team India were off to a solid start, courtesy of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. The duo not only nullified effects of the new ball but also looked positive in their footwork. They played with intent and took advantage of every scoring opportunity.
Just when they looked set to deliver India's first century-stand by an opening pair in overseas conditions since 2010, Aussie skipper Tim Paine brought Hazlewood back into the attack. The 33-year-old already looked unsettled due to the controversial DRS decision that he had just survived off Nathan Lyon's bowling.
Hazlewood tested Rohit firstly with a bumper and gave him a stare. The tall pacer began playing mind games with the opener and that was the beginning of Rohit Sharma being set up. After a few deliveries, Hazlewood bowled a juicy full ball to entice the Indian star into playing the straight drive.
Rohit Sharma obliged but he could not maintain the right balance while playing the shot. As a result, the ball came back straight to the bowler and the 33-year-old had to leave through a very soft dismissal. Hazlewood had won the war of mind games and Rohit helplessly had to walk away, distraught with his shot selection.
Fans on Twitter troll Rohit Sharma for his soft dismissal
The fans were not at all impressed with the way Rohit Sharma was dismissed, especially after doing all the hard work of seeing off the new ball. The right-handed batsman had made a bright start to his career as a Test opener, scoring 556 runs from his first five Tests at an outstanding average of 92.66, with three centuries to his name.
However, this was Rohit Sharma's first overseas innings as a Test opener. He was itching to prove his critics wrong as his technique in testing conditions was unproven. However, he couldn't deliver once again and was trolled by the fans. Here is what they had to say: