Rohit Sharma’s Unfortunate Dismissal Mars India’s Fightback in Bengaluru Test
India’s hopes of salvaging the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru suffered a setback on Friday as opener Rohit Sharma was dismissed in an unfortunate manner. After trailing by 356 runs in the first innings, India had made a promising start to their second innings, with Sharma leading the charge.
However, the Indian captain’s impressive stay at the crease was cut short by a moment of misfortune. Facing left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, Sharma attempted a defensive stroke to a ball on the off-stump. The ball, however, glanced off the inside edge and trickled onto the stumps before Sharma could react.
The dismissal left Sharma and the Chinnaswamy crowd in disbelief. The Indian opener had looked solid in his innings, scoring 52 runs off 83 balls. His departure was a major blow to India’s hopes of building a substantial lead.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand had been dismissed for 402 in their first innings. Rachin Ravindra (134) and Tim Southee (65) had put together a brisk 134-run partnership for the eighth wicket to extend the visitors’ advantage.
India’s bowlers, led by Ravindra Jadeja (3/72), had struck early to reduce New Zealand to 233 for seven. However, Ravindra and Southee’s partnership helped the Kiwis add valuable runs to their total.
With Sharma’s dismissal, India’s task became even more challenging. The hosts will need to bat with patience and determination to avoid a heavy defeat in the first Test.
