"You just went there and said 'Ye lo meri wicket'" - Danish Kaneria slams Rohit Sharma for his mode of dismissal on Day 1 of IND vs AUS 3rd Test
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria questioned Rohit Sharma's shot selection, which led to his dismissal, in the first innings of the third Test against Australia in Indore.
Rohit was already living a charmed life as he was lucky not to be adjudged out twice in the first over of the match. However, he soon came down the track to left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and missed the ball completely while trying to slog him into the stands.
Alex Carey completed a simple stumping to send the Indian skipper back for just 12 and that started the hosts' downfall.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria slammed Rohit Sharma for not making use of his form and failing to give himself enough time to get settled at the crease. He said:
"Rohit Sharma, such a poor shot! It's the first day of the Test match and you didn't even give yourself time to judge the spin and bounce in the pitch. You just went there and said 'Ye lo meri wicket (Take my wicket).' He didn't give enough respect to the bowler and paid the price."
Kaneria also opened up on Cheteshwar Pujara's dismissal and explained how the right-hander got himself into a tangle before being cleaned up by Nathan Lyon.
"Cheteshwar Pujara, you have been a veteran and have scored a lot of runs with a solid technique, but you have let Lyon dominate you once again. The ball spun sharply from outside off-stump and you rocked back on the back-foot but were in no position to play the shot."
Pujara was dismissed for just one run. It marked the 12th time he fell to Lyon.
Danish Kaneria credits Virat Kohli's fitness for his knock in first innings
Former captain Virat Kohli by far looked the most comfortable Indian batter on Day 1. Although he scored just 22 runs, he faced 52 balls and was smothering the spin really well.
Danish Kaneria feels Kohli's high fitness standards helped him get really low while defending and ensured that he got to the pitch of the ball. He stated:
"Virat Kohli was the only player who looked comfortable at the crease and his fitness is one of the main reasons. Look how low he was in his defense, successfully smothering the spin."
The hosts will need to bat much better in their second innings if they want to stay alive in the Test, having bowled Australia out for 197. They were 24/1 at the time of writing with Rohit Sharma (11 batting) and Cheteshwar Pujara (four batting) at the crease.