"The way he got stumped, I feel it was a slight mistake" - RP Singh on Rohit Sharma's dismissal in India's 2nd innings of the 4th Test vs England
Former India pacer RP Singh has praised Rohit Sharma for giving India the required momentum during their run chase in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator was slightly disappointed with the Indian skipper for failing to convert his half-century into a more substantial effort.
India were reduced to 99/2 in pursuit of a 192-run target on Monday (February 26) when Rohit Sharma (55 off 81) was dismissed. They slumped further to 120/5 before an unbroken 72-run partnership between Shubman Gill (52* off 124) and Dhruv Jurel (39* off 77) took the hosts to a five-wicket win.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, RP Singh was asked about his thoughts on Rohit Sharma's knock. He responded:
"He is the most experienced player in this team. He set the tempo for sure. The approach with which he batted was worth seeing. He knew that you would get close to the target if you have one big partnership, especially the opening partnership as it creates the base."
"He used his experience properly and looked in good rhythm. However, the way he got stumped, I feel it was a slight mistake because once you have got set and batting on 50, you have the responsibility to take the game further forward," the former India pacer added.
Rohit danced down the track to a Tom Hartley delivery and was stumped by Ben Foakes. However, replays suggested that he got an outside edge and was thus eventually ruled caught behind.
"It was extremely necessary for him to play such a knock" - Owais Shah lauds Rohit Sharma's innings
In the same discussion, Owais Shah lauded Rohit Sharma for playing a captain's knock. He elaborated:
"It was a fantastic knock. It was extremely necessary for him to play such a knock because only he has so much experience and he has been given responsibility because he is the captain. A captain has to play such a knock on this wicket and in this situation."
The former England batter noted that the opener took calculated risks and guided Yashasvi Jaiswal (37 off 44) during their partnership.
"He showed how to play on this wicket. He took risks when he had to. He hit a six off Jimmy Anderson's length ball. So he knew what he was doing. From the other end, he was also asking Yashasvi Jaiswal to play cautiously. He knew how to succeed on this wicket. Mistakes keep happening, and he made one and got out," Shah stated.
Rohit and Jaiswal added 40 runs for the opening wicket in just eight overs before Stumps on Day 3. They extended that partnership to 84 on the fourth morning before Jaiswal was brilliantly caught by James Anderson off Joe Root's bowling.