Indian captain Rohit Sharma endured an unusual dismissal during Day 3 of the opening Test against New Zealand on Friday. Rohit, who cruised to a solid half-century in the second innings of the Test, was left in disbelief after a front-foot defensive shot led to the ball being trickled back onto the stumps.
In what appeared to be a routine forward defence, the ball skidded off the inner half of Rohit’s bat and rolled gently into the stumps before he could react. The crowd, just like Rohit, was left stunned, frozen in silence at the unexpected dismissal. The Indian captain had been looking settled, just as India seemed to be gaining momentum, but this freak dismissal handed New Zealand a crucial breakthrough.
Rohit stood at the pitch, and let out a loud scream following the dismissal.
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It was a massive bonus for the Kiwis, who had been on the back foot before Rohit’s untimely wicket shifted the dynamics. With India’s captain trudging off the field, head hung low, the visitors seized a much-needed opportunity as Rohit had been looking threatening, particularly after tea.
In the over before his dismissal, Rohit smashed three back-to-back boundaries to bring his half-century. For India, Rohit’s dismissal couldn’t have come at a worse time, just as they had started to recover and build towards a potentially commanding position.
“I don’t think you have time to react because ball reacted very quickly. One bounce and on to stumps,” Gavaskar said on the Indian captain’s dismissal when asked whether Rohit could have prevented the ball from hitting the stumps.
Earlier, India made a solid start to their second innings after New Zealand took a mammoth 356-run lead in the first innings. After bundling the side for just 46, the visitors produced a brilliant batting effort, laced with a century from Rachin Ravindra (134) and a brilliant 64 from Tim Southee on Day 3, scoring 402.
