Rohit Sharma ‘s captaincy came under fire on Day 1 of the second Test against New Zealand in Pune. The Indian skipper’s tactics were questioned by several cricket experts, who felt his field placements were too defensive and allowed the Kiwis to dictate terms. 

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Rohit Sharma slammed on Live TV

During the live broadcast of the second Test match between India and New Zealand, former cricketers Simon Doull and Ravi Shastri openly criticized Indian captain Rohit Sharma ‘s defensive approach to captaincy. 

Simon Doull specifically highlighted a moment where Rohit Sharma ‘s body language and reaction to a play seemed lackluster, comparing it to the high standards set by former captain Virat Kohli .

Ravi Shastri also chimed in, expressing his disappointment with India’s defensive strategy from the start of the match. He particularly pointed out the decision to have long on and long off fielders, which he believes played into the hands of the New Zealand batters.

“The previous ball, just an example of the body language, the heads. You don’t see that from Virat Kohli that often. Just a lazy miss; that does not happen. He sets such high standards,” former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull said.

“Another single, in fact they will get another run here. India have been too defensive from the get go. Too defensive in that first session of play when that ball was gripping. To have long on and long off back, I mean it’s like playing into the hands of the New Zealand batters,” former India coach Ravi Shastri said. 

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India lost skipper Rohit Sharma early in their first innings when stumps were drawn on Day 1 of the second Test on Thursday. India crawled to 16/1 in 11 overs with Yashasvi Jaiswal (6 not out) and Shubman Gill (10 not out) at the crease, trailing by another 243 runs in the first innings.

Tim Southee cleaned up Rohit Sharma for a nine-ball duck, forcing the hosts to be extra cautious with the debacle of first innings in the Bengaluru Test still fresh in the minds. India were bowled out for a mere 46 runs in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test, creating an unwanted record. It was India’s lowest score in a Test match in on home soil.