After Rohit Sharma’s first innings defeat, Matthew Hayden and Sanjay Manjrekar criticize his shot selection, describing it as “a touch lazy.”

Matthew Hayden, a former Australian batsman, has criticized Indian captain Rohit Sharma for his sluggish attitude in the first innings of the Indore Test. Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer, criticized the Indian opener following India’s lackluster batting performance on the first day of the third Test.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma received a couple of fortunate breaks in the first over of the match, but he was unable to capitalize as he was bowled by Matthew Kuhnemann while strolling down the pitch. Hayden believed that the Indian captain, who was meant to lead by example in difficult batting conditions, displayed sloppy hitting.

“There are certainly some forgettable shots, I believe. Rohit Sharma, and I’ve always said this about cricket Test matches, is the captain who leads by example. Thus, he will reflect on his dismissal and consider: Perhaps I was a little careless; perhaps I was a little worried.
“If you win the toss, you want to make a big impact and assert your superiority over a weakened Australia. David Warner, their captain, is no longer on the team. They have plenty to lose, including a spot in the Test Championship final. Hayden told Star Sports that he believed a mixture of complacency and arrogance contributed to the team’s performance.

Rohit Sharma appeared with a hangover from the previous two Test matches: Sanjay Manjrekar, a former cricketer-turned-commentator, concurred that Rohit threw away his wicket and was likely a bit arrogant with the bat, given his great performance in the series thus far. The former Indian hitter opined that the Indian opener appeared hungover due to his team’s previous dominance in the series.

“Dead on. Much of this was evident in Rohit Sharma’s play. The reviews were not taken the first two times, and then he was out a third time. So it was Rohit Sharma who emerged feeling the effects of his dominance in the previous two Test matches. He did not begin with the first ball. There was some hubris there,” Manjrekar commented.