Matthew Hayden Lashes Out At Rohit Sharma’s ‘Lazy’ Batting In Indore

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma kicked off the opening day of the second Test against Australia on a promising note after smashing three boundaries. However, Rohit’s aggressive approach backfired as spinner Matthew Kuhnemann dismissed him at a score of 12. Coming down the pitch, Rohit failed to read the turn and wicketkeeper Alex Carey made no mistake in removing the bails in time. Following the dismissal, Rohit’s batting style faced severe criticism and former Australia batter Matthew Hayden also slammed the India skipper. The cricketer-turned-commentator lashed out at Rohit during the innings break on Wednesday at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.

“I think there are some forgettable shots, no doubt about it. Rohit Sharma – and I’ve always said this about Test match cricket – the captain leads from the front. So that dismissal is something he will look back and think – Maybe I was a little lazy, maybe I was a little apprehensive,” Matthew Hayden told broadcasters Star Sports.

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also voiced a similar opinion. Manjrekar felt that Rohit Sharma headed into the third Test with a ‘hangover’ of India’s previous two wins against Australia. “So, it was a Rohit Sharma who came out with the hangover of the earlier two Test matches’ dominance. He didn’t start from ball one. There was a bit of arrogance there,” the 57-year-old said.

India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in the third Test. However, the decision simply backfired. Rohit was the first man to return to the dressing room after scoring just 12 runs. The 35-year-old appeared to be out twice in the first over of the third Test but umpire Nitin Menon remained unmoved on both occasions.

Rohit Sharma’s departure triggered a shocking collapse on day one of the third Test. The hosts skittled for just 109 as Australia spinners dominated the opening day. Matthew Kuhnemann, just in his second Test match, registered his maiden international five-wicket haul to gain an upper hand for the Aussies. Kuhnemann registered his career-best figures of 5-16 in the first innings. Nathan Lyon, on the other hand, picked up three wickets.

Australia, in response, were bundled out for 197 in first innings. Star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja picked up four wickets.

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