‘Negative and Defensive Captain’ – Sunil Gavaskar Slams Rohit Sharma During IND vs NZ 2nd Test

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Read Original Content: ‘Negative and Defensive Captain’ – Sunil Gavaskar Slams Rohit Sharma During IND vs NZ 2nd Test

Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian cricketer, was unhappy with Rohit Sharma’s captaincy during the second Test between India and New Zealand. Commenting during the live broadcast, Gavaskar called Rohit a “defensive and negative captain” due to the field placements he implemented during the match.

Even before the game began, Gavaskar was already critical of Rohit’s team selection. The veteran cricketer questioned the decision to exclude Kuldeep Yadav from the playing XI in Pune, choosing Washington Sundar instead. 

Sunil Gavaskar argued that Kuldeep, who can turn the ball away from left-handers, would have been a more effective option against New Zealand’s batting line-up. While on commentary, Gavaskar shared his thoughts on the team’s strategy, saying:

“The selection of Washington Sundar tells me that the Indian team was concerned about its batting. He wasn’t picked just for his off-spin but also for his ability to score runs down the order. Yes, there’s been a lot of talk about the number of left-handers in the New Zealand line-up, but if that was the concern, Kuldeep Yadav would have been a better choice since he can spin the ball away from them. He’s decent with the bat too, though not as dependable as Sundar.”

New Zealand in Command After Early Blows

On the field, New Zealand found themselves in a comfortable position after opting to bat first. Despite losing Will Young and captain Tom Latham in the opening session, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra steadied the innings with a promising partnership. 

Later, while Conway perished after scoring 76, Rachin Ravindra held the fort strong and joined hands with Daryl Mitchell. At the time of writing, the pair had added 33 runs for the fourth wicket, helping New Zealand reach 172/3. 

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