The Indian team was off to a desired start on day 1 of the Border-Gavaskar series opener in Nagpur. Ravindra Jadeja took a 5 wicket haul and made an impressive comeback after 5 months. Skipper Rohit Sharma’s decision to not include Shubman Gill in the playing 11 raised a lot of eyebrows
India’s openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul depicted the control the team had throughout the day and stitched a 76 runs partnership. The skipper was at his elegant best closing the play for the day at an unbeaten 56 off 69 balls. But apart from his brilliant show with the bat, the opener is also being praised for other reasons.
“The first decision was also very important”- Irfan Pathan
The 34-year-old who was also born in Nagpur became the fastest Indian opener to reach 1000 test runs at home. The skipper is being garnered with praises for his proactive captaincy and smart rotation bowlers on regular intervals. An impressed Irfan Pathan said
“The first decision was also very important, the DRS decision, because he could have refused it there as a captain as only one second was left, but he took it at the last second. After that, he brought Ashwin from the opposite end from where he started. We saw regular changes in the fast bowling.” said Irfan Pathan.
“The activeness was seen a lot today, it was clear how intently he was wanting for this series to start so that he can captain and win India the game. It was evident in his excitement and his involvement.” he added.
Great Chance for India
An immaculate display by the bowling unit followed by a solid opening foundation, India ended the day in complete control. With Kohli and Pujara yet to come, a lead of more than 100 runs could mean curtains for Australia.
Pujara, who will be playing his 99th match in the Indian jersey, has had a successful county stint with Sussex recently while Kohli will look to bring his fine white ball form to the longest format. All in all India will look to press their advantage further to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Playing only his third match as the captain, Rohit Sharma with his company will go out, as the series results in a spot for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2021-23) finals later this year.
Also Read: IND vs AUS: Indian Spinner Ravindra Jadeja Rubbishes Claims Of Pitch Being Rank Turner On Day 1