India is struggling against Australia in the WTC final being played at Oval from June 7. Australia ended their first inning at 469 runs and looked baffled when they came to bat. At the stump of Day 1, the Indian team stands at 151 runs at the loss of five wickets, and many former cricketers including the Indian veterans are criticizing the approach of Indian batters against the Aussie bowlers.
In the first inning for India, all the top-4 batters namely Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli got a decent start but they failed to convert it into a big one. Everyone expected Gill to perform on a high note but he was sent to the pavilion at 13 runs against Scott Boland. Pujara who had been there in the UK for months playing the county cricket, also returned to the dressing room casually.
Pujara’s dismissal was unexpected considering his ability for having a good understanding of his off-stump, especially looking at his past success in England. Watching him play so poorly against that particular delivery was extremely disappointing. Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri openly criticized India’s experienced No. 3 batsman without holding back his words.
“That is leaving it poorly because the front foot has just gone across. It should be going towards the ball; he was looking to play it and then decided whether he should leave it. You see, the way he is leaving it, the off-stump is exposed. The front foot is still the middle stump when it’s going towards the off stump. Watch that front foot. It should be further across and towards the ball. He thought it was outside the off stump. It was an error in judgment,” Shastri said on air.
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It was so disappointing to see Pujara playing in such a way as this was the same pitch where Pujara had gathered an abundance of runs while playing for Surrey in the County Championship over the past two years.
