Published 10:15 IST, February 1st 2024
Michael Vaughan offers harsh criticism of Rohit Sharma's performance and tactical decisions, stating that he seemed to have "switched off" during the match.
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England defeated India by 28 runs in the opening Test match of the series. Ollie Pope, who scored 196 runs in the second innings after scoring only one run in the first, was named Player of the Match for his amazing effort. Ben Stokes made a substantial contribution, scoring 70 runs in 88 balls. Ravindra Jadeja of India played with great form, getting 87 runs off of 180 balls. England's victory was largely due to their potent bowling, which was spearheaded by Tom Hartley, who claimed 7 wickets at 62 runs. Both teams will probably examine how to regain ground or solidify their positions as they get ready for the second Test in Vizag, which begins on Friday, February 2, 2024.
3 things you need to know
- England beat India in the first Test by 28 runs
- England leads the 5-match Test series by 1-0
- KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have been ruled out of the first test
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Michael Vaughan has questioned Rohit Sharma’s game plan in the 1st Test
Former England captain Michael Vaughan stated his opinion that if Virat Kohli had been captaining the Indian team, England's unexpected comeback in the first Test match against India in Hyderabad would not have happened. After the highly favoured Indian side unexpectedly lost the series opener, Vaughan questioned Rohit Sharma's strategies and behaviour.
India appeared to be in complete control of the Hyderabad Test when they dismissed England for 246 in the opening innings to take a dominant 190-run lead. India's aggressive batting style in the first innings of the series opener left England far behind, much to the relief of the Bazball world's critics.
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In the second innings, Ollie Pope used reverse-sweeps to upset the plans of the Indian spinners, especially R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and the game's dynamics drastically changed. With Pope's outstanding 196-run third-inning performance driving England to 420 runs in their second innings, India had a difficult 231-run mark to meet.
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Rohit Sharma's leadership came under increasing scrutiny, especially after Ollie Pope established significant alliances with the lower-order batters. India's poor performance on Day 3 and Day 4 of the first Test led to criticism of Sharma's leadership choices at critical moments in the game. Speaking on Club Prairie Fire show, Michael Vaughan said:
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"They miss Virat Kohli's captaincy massively in Test cricket. Under Virat's captaincy that week, India wouldn't have lost the game,"
"Rohit is a legend and a great player. But I felt he just switched off completely,"
India’s updated roster for the 2nd Test against England
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Sourabh Kumar.
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Despite being greeted with broad arms in Vizag, the Indian team struggled to prepare for the second Test. Unfortunately, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja's injuries acquired during the Hyderabad Test have disqualified them from playing in the upcoming match.
Jadeja's hamstring problem and Rahul's right quadriceps tightness forced them off the pitch. To be ready for the crucial game, the team management consequently acted swiftly to add Washington Sundar, Saurabh Kumar, and Sarfaraz Khan to the squad.
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09:54 IST, January 31st 2024