India captain Rohit Sharma has come under the scanner for his captaincy on Day 2 of the ongoing 3rd Test against Australia in Brisbane on Sunday. Jasprit Bumrah and Nitish Kumar Reddy gave India a bright start, reducing Australia to 3/75 early in the morning session. However, centuries from Travis Head (152) and Steve Smith (101) saw Australia end the day at a commanding 405/7. Head was the wrecker-in-chief for Australia, scoring at almost run-a-ball during the 241-run stand with Smith.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, however, lashed out at Rohit for his defensive field placements, and allowing Head and Smith to dictate proceedings
“Worst set ups,” Shastri was heard as saying on-air, while sharing his views on Rohit’s field placements.
Former Australia opener David Warner also questioned Rohit’s approach, saying that India should’ve attacked Head and Smith with short balls.
Speaking after the match, India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted that the bowlers failed to execute plans against Smith and Head.
“First of all, we can say he’s (Head) in pretty good form. But I think for us with the ball, if you look at it from overs 50 to 80, even in the last game, is where we fall short, leaking (runs) a little bit. So, that’s one area I think we need to get better at,” Morkel said in the post-day press conference.
Morkel said the Indian bowlers could not sustain the momentum after taking three wickets in the morning session.
“First up with the ball this morning, we were pretty good, at 3 for 70, but took nothing away from two world-class players, Smith we know, he’s a guy who also can bat long and score runs. They (Smith and Head) put a partnership there and put us under pressure with a softer ball.
“It’s definitely an area that we need to focus on, maybe deeper in the innings. Yes, we’ve got the game plans, but are we executing those game plans with a softer ball from both ends? That’s something we need to get better at,” getting added.
