In a recent turn of events, former England captain Michael Vaughan has expressed his opinion on the captaincy debate between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, suggesting that Bharat might not have suffered a loss in the opening Test against England if Kohli had been at the helm. The Rohit Sharma-led side faced a 28-run defeat in Hyderabad, marking their first-ever loss at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Despite strong performances from Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja, Bharat took a 190-run lead in the first innings. However, England’s Ollie Pope’s outstanding 196 helped them overcome the deficit, setting a target of 231. Despite a promising start, Bharat fell short as debutant Tom Hartley picked up a seven-wicket haul, folding India for 202.
This loss marked a historic moment in Bharat Test cricket, being the first time in 91 years that the home team lost a match after taking a first-innings lead of more than 100 runs. It also extended Bharat’s winless streak at home to three Tests, following a loss to Australia in Indore and a draw in the Ahmedabad Test.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Michael Vaughan shared his views on the ‘Club Prairie Fire’ YouTube channel. He emphasized the significant absence of Virat Kohli’s captaincy and expressed his belief that under Kohli, Bharat wouldn’t have lost the game. Vaughan acknowledged Rohit Sharma’s greatness as a player but suggested that he seemed to have “switched off” during the match.
Vaughan further criticized Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in his column for The Telegraph, describing it as “very, very average.” He pointed out Rohit’s reactive approach, lack of strategic field maneuvering, and a seemingly clueless response to Ollie Pope’s sweeps and reverse-sweeps during his record-breaking innings.
As Bharat heads into the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam on February 2, they aim to bounce back and improve their standing in the World Test Championship points table. The spotlight remains on the captaincy debate and Rohit Sharma’s ability to lead the team effectively in Kohli’s absence.
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