Manoj Tiwary criticized Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir for not using proper judgment while deciding to bat after a day totally lost to rain. He said that it was baffling while pointing out that Gambhir had not contributed enough to help Rohit Sharma make good selections. Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary reacted against the selection committee’s choice and way of decision-making after India’s complete hapless collapse to 46 all out in the first Test against New Zealand.
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has slammed Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma for lacking common sense during the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Notably, India lost the first Test by eight wickets as New Zealand registered their first Test win on Indian soil after 36 years.
Manoj Tiwary slams Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir after Bengaluru drubbing in 1st Test
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary questioned the decisions taken by captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir during the first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. According to Tiwary, their decisions seemed to lack common sense.
India went down to the Kiwis by eight wickets in the Bengaluru Test. Batting first after winning the toss under conditions favorable for pace bowlers, the hosts were bundled out for 46. India fought back strongly with the bat in their second innings, but it was not enough to undo the damage caused by the first-innings collapse.
During an interaction on Cricbuzz, Tiwary criticized the Indian think tank over their thought process in the Bengaluru Test. He commented:
“Sometimes I don’t understand the decisions. Common sense seems to be lacking. What the coach or captain is trying to prove, is beyond my understanding. I feel like, whenever there is a new coach or new captain, they try to prove something and take such decisions.”
The 38-year-old also questioned the decision to under bowl Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 5, with the Kiwis needing only 107 runs for victory. The Indian off-spinner bowled only two overs in the second innings and was brought on with the visitors on the verge of victory.
“I knew that one of the spinners would be under-bowled, but I never imagined that it would be Ashwin. He has over 500 Test wickets. When you are defending 107, why didn’t you bring him in the attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah? Good captains also make mistakes, because a lot of things go through your mind. Here, the role of the coach to give constant guidance is very important, but I don’t know why that did not happen,” Tiwary wondered.
Chasing 107, New Zealand lost skipper Tom Latham (0) and Devon Conway (17) to the guile of Jasprit Bumrah. However, Will Young (48*) and Rachin Ravindra (39*) combined to add an unbroken 75 for the third wicket and lift their team to an easy win.
Rohit Sharma performance as batter in the IND vs NZ 2024 1st Test
After India decided to bat first in the Test, skipper Rohit Sharma was the first wicket to fall. He was cleaned up by Tim Southee for two as he charged down the track and missed a ball that nipped back. In the second innings, he was again bowled, this time by Ajaz Patel for 52. Rohit Sharma defended a delivery, but ball bounced backwards and went on to hit the stumps.
Meanwhile, after losing the first Test, the Rohit Sharma-led side find themselves on the verge of losing a home Test series after over 11 years. They still need to win three matches more to qualify for their third consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final and will be eager to win two of them against New Zealand to keep their flawless home record intact. The second Test of the series will begin from Thursday, October 24 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune