India cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that the team wasn’t brave enough as they succumbed to a 28-run loss in the IND vs ENG 1st Test at Hyderabad. The hosts failed secure a victory after a horrific top-order collapse and a stellar show from debutant England spinner Tom Hartley.
IND vs ENG: Rohit Sharma rues lack of braveness from India
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Sharma stated that it was hard to pinpoint where India went wrong in the game. The Hitman heaped praise on Ollie Pope for his outstanding 196-run knock and noted that it was one of the best innings by an overseas batter in Indian conditions. The India skipper acknowledged that the hosts had failed overall as a team, adding that the team weren’t brave where they were needed to be.
“Hard to pinpoint where it went wrong. Having got a lead of 190, we thought we were very much in the batting. Exceptional batting, one of the best I have seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter, Ollie Pope played a brilliant knock . We bowled in the right areas. The bowlers executed the plans really well, you got to take your hat off to Pope and say well played,” Sharma said.
“Overall, we failed as a team. We didn’t bat well enough. I wanted them (Siraj and Bumrah) to take the game to the fifth day. The lower order fought really well there. You need to be brave enough, which I thought we weren’t,” Sharma added.
Tom Hartley stunned the hosts on debut, grabbing a five-wicket haul on debut. Chasing 213 runs to get a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, the hosts suffered a serious setback, with their top-order collapsing like a pack of cards. Hartley finished with figures of 7-62, with the last wicket coming in the last over of the day.
