The Indian team had a horror show to kickstart their Test series against New Zealand. Skipper Rohit Sharma made quite a few decisions that went the other way around. From opting to bat first in overcast conditions to playing just two pacers, it was a day to forget for the hosts. Courtesy of some crushing blows from Matt Henry (5/15) and William O’Rourke (4/22), India were bundled out for just 46 runs.
IND vs NZ: Kohli falters at No. 3
However, one startling moment came when Virat Kohli walked out to bat at number three. Kohli, who has played at number four for almost all his Test career, had to face the brunt of initial bowling. Most people argued that when Shubman Gill was forced out from the first Test, it should have been KL Rahul to bat at number three. Kohli, who walked out after Rohit’s dismissal, was gone for a duck. Upon answering the reason behind sending Kohli at number three, Rohit said:
“We don’t want to touch KL’s (KL Rahul) batting position much. He has found a place at 6 so let’s give him a rope there. Same with Sarfaraz, we wanted to give him a similar position where he bats. So Virat (Kohli) was the one who wanted to take the responsibility. And that’s a good sign of players taking responsibility,” said Rohit during the press conference after Day 2.
Rohit claimed that the management doesn’t want to ‘touch’ KL Rahul’s new-found batting position at number six. Rohit credited Kohli for taking up the responsibility to bat during the tricky situation. Although Kohli was undone by a steep bounce by O’Rourke, Rohit was happy for his players to take up duties.
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