Rohit Sharma returned to India XI after missing the first Test in Perth of the ongoing BGT 2024-25 series. He missed the first match for the birth of his second child and when he returned to the Indian team, batted at No. 6 spot, to let KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal open the innings in Adelaide as well.
Rohit Sharma began nicely by winning the toss and choosing to bat first. However, apart from Nitish Reddy (42), KL Rahul (37), and Shubman Gill (31), none of the other batters withstood the Australian pacer battery. India was bowled out for 180 runs as Mitchell Starc took 6/48.
Rohit Sharma batted at no.6 and was out to Scott Boland, who trapped him plumb in front of the stumps for just 3 runs. This elongated Sharma’s poor run of form, as he had scored only 93 runs in three Tests before this, against New Zealand at home.
On the fifth ball of the 26th over, Boland got Rohit LBW with a crisp delivery that nibbled back into the right-hander, as half of the Indian cricket squad returned to the dugout. Boland produced a crisp nip-backer that had Rohit anchored in his crease.
Sanjay Manjrekar calls out Rohit Sharma for his LBW dismissal
The Indian skipper failed to respond to the inward movement and attempted to defend from a static posture, missing the ball. The ball slipped past his inside edge and whacked him in the front pad, in line with the stumps.
Rohit Sharma’s LBW dismissal at the hands of Scott Boland has prompted Sanjay Manjrekar to note the probable collapse of defensive batting strategies. The cricket analyst has identified a clear tendency in current cricket: hitters rarely fall LBW while defending on the back foot against seamers.
Sanjay Manjrekar was sad to see Rohit get stranded LBW while playing against Boland in the upcoming Day-Night Test against Australia. However, the analyst did not mention Rohit in his social media post.
“One glaring piece of evidence of changing defensive techniques is that against seamers, no one gets out LBW on the back foot anymore,” Manjrekar posted on X.
One glaring evidence of changing defensive techniques is that against seamers, no one gets out LBW on the back foot anymore.
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 6, 2024
Aakash Chopra agrees with Sanjay Manjrekar over Rohit Sharma’s LBW
Manjrekar’s strong remark on the Indian captain prompted a quick response from Aakash Chopra. The cricket commentator argued that playing full-length deliveries on the back foot is a clear error in judgment. He underlined the importance of front-foot play against deliveries to the stumps.
Responding to Sanjay Manjrekar, Aakash Chopra said, “If the ball is finishing below the stumps, it should be played on the front foot, sire. Going back to a full-length delivery is an error of judgment 🙌.”
If the ball is finishing below the stumps, it should be played on the front-foot, sire. Going back to a full length delivery is an error of judgment 🙌
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 6, 2024
Australia ended day one on 85/1 with Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan McSweeney at the crease.
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