If anyone is to be blamed for the India Cricket Team‘s poor performance on Day 1 of the IND vs AUS Pink Ball Adelaide Test, then it has to be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The visitors were completely dominated by Australia, something quite contrary to the Perth Test. Both the ace batters have failed to perform yet again, as India had to rely on younger batters to carry the burden of scoring runs for the side.
Rohit Sharma falters in new position
Ahead of the match, Rohit Sharma had made it very clear that he would sacrifice his opening position. In his place, it was KL Rahul who retained the opener’s spot after his brilliant show in the Perth Test. As a result, Rohit slotted down the order and came to bat in at number 6.
As per stats, Rohit had a good record batting at 6 where he had previously notched up 3 centuries and 6 fifties. But all these stats went down the drain when Rohit Sharma was dismissed cheaply by Scot Boland. The Indian captain survived on the pitch of 23 deliveries where he could manage to score only 3 runs.
Rohit’s poor form in Test cricket continues yet again. In the entire calendar year 2024, he has managed to score 2 centuries, earlier this year against England. And he has only managed 2 fifties, with the latest coming in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli dismissed cheaply
The excitement of the Indian fans was at its peak. They had expected ace batter Virat Kohli to fire on all cylinders after his unbeaten ton in the Perth Test. But, things took a sharp turn. The star batter fell victim to Mitchell Starc and was dismissed after scoring just 7 runs from 8 deliveries.
The failure of the top batters has had its effects on the other members of the team. The younger players now have a constant burden on their shoulders to carry the team after the rough patch of form from the star batter duo.
India could only manage 180 runs and when it was their turn to bowl, the Australians remained resilient. India needs to find their groove back soon if they plan on making a strong comeback in this Test match. And that will require some big knocks from both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the second innings.
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