Batting first a blunder.... Rohit's reflexes are weak: Basit Ali on India's struggle against NZ
Oct 18, 2024
New Delhi [India], October 18 : Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali called out India's decision to bat after winning the toss and labelled it a "blunder".
He even claimed that skipper Rohit Sharma's reflexes looked weak in both batting and fielding departments on Day 2 of the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
Under a gloomy sky in Bengaluru, India fell on the wrong side of the history books, after posting its lowest score in a Test inning on home soil.
Rohit's decision to bat after winning the toss under overcast conditions certainly took a lot of people by surprise.
New Zealand pace trio Matt Henry, William ORourke, and Tim Southee made Indian batters dance to their tunes by swinging the deliveries both ways.
With five ducks on their scoresheet, India folded on a score of 46, their lowest at home in the history of Test cricket.
"It was a blunder because there was a lot of moisture on the pitch. Credit goes to New Zealand. I was not expecting that India would get out so quickly," Basit said on his YouTube channel.
India's woes increased after Devon Conway's belligerent 91.
With India in trouble, a couple of chances went begging rubbing salt on India's wounds. Conway edged the ball which fell short before the second slip. Another chance flew past between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
Basit pointed out India's lack of fielding standards and even said that Rohit's reflexes had dropped after witnessing him struggle with the bat and on the field.
"The fielding was not up to mark. It was a bad shot from Rohit. I feel Rohit's reflexes have gone slightly weak both in batting and slip," he added.
After struggling to execute his strokes at the top, he tried hitting a cover drive against Southee. But the ball nipped back to breach Rohit's defence and hit the top of the leg stump.
With India in the backseat and the Kiwis firmly in control, the Rohit-led side will look to turn the tide on Day 3.
