IND vs ENG | If England get Rohit early on day 2, they are in with a chance, states Sunil Gavaskar
Gavaskar calls Rohit Sharma's wicket as key for England
|Sunil Gavaskar, following the first day’s play, stated that England have a chance of making a comeback in the game if they get Rohit Sharma dismissed early on the second day. He also added that India’s decision to send Ajinkya Rahane in the night signalled India’s high confidence level.
When England won the toss and elected to bat first, they had a real advantage of batting during the day-light in the pink-ball Test. After a great start from Zak Crawley, England were unable to convert their advantage, getting bundled out for a meagre 112 after just two sessions on the first day of the important Test. While England couldn’t adapt themselves with the bat, they had a chance of recovering later in the day with the ball, where they bowled brilliantly under the lights.
However, with multiple opportunities grasped and decisions going against them, England ended the day in a terrible position, with India just trailing by 13 runs. Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar stated that if England gets Rohit Sharma out early on the second day of the ongoing Test, they have a chance of making a comeback in the game.
"They need his (Rohit) wicket more than anybody else's wicket. If they get him out early tomorrow, they are in with a chance. That's why Rohit is going to be crucial to this match from tomorrow onwards," Gavaskar said, reported India Today.
"He (Rohit) knows how to play, how to pace his innings. That's what he is going to try to do. And he is the kind of player who can't be put under any pressure. He can play through the off-side, play through the on-side and he is such a difficult batsman to keep quiet,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gavaskar also stressed that a late wicket of Indian skipper Virat Kohli would ensure that England would go confident to bowl well on the second day and get themselves back in the game.
"Now they are in with a chance, Ajinkya Rahane is new to the crease, they have got the rock Cheteshwar Pujara for 0. Clearly, England will say to themselves that if we bowl well and take our catches, then we can restrict India to a reasonable total," Gavaskar added.
The former Indian opener also insisted that the decision to send Ajinkya Rahane ahead of a nightwatchman indicates the Indian team’s level of confidence.
"The way Rohit Sharma is batting, the confidence that Ajinkya Rahane is showing, there was no night watchman after the last wicket of the day fell, that shows India are pretty confident of overhauling England's total and get a substantial lead to make sure they don't have to bat in the fourth innings. Even if they have to, maybe for not too many runs," Gavaskar concluded.
