Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly didn’t hold back as he criticized Rohit Sharma’s captaincy following India’s tough day on the first day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Australia finished the day with a strong score of 327/3, led by Travis Head’s impressive century.
Despite making an impressive decision to bowl first after winning the toss, India managed to take an early wicket, dismissing Usman Khawaja for a duck. David Warner also fell shortly before lunch, and Mohammed Shami’s breakthrough removed Marnus Labuschagne for 26 at the start of the second session.
However, it was Travis Head’s counter-attacking innings and Steve Smith’s steady presence at the crease that frustrated the Indian bowlers. The duo remained unbeaten throughout the day, with Head scoring an unbeaten 146 off just 156 deliveries. Sourav Ganguly expressed his disappointment with Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, suggesting that he allowed Australia to regain control by conceding “easy runs.”
Ganguly stated, “India will be a bit disappointed. They had Australia at 76/3 and let them get off the hook… I thought they let Travis Head get off the hook very easily. I know he has been in good form, he has scored a lot of runs, but still, they were 76/3. I think Rohit Sharma with his field placements at that stage probably allowed some easy runs to happen, and now Australia are in a good position.”
Both India and Australia are vying for their maiden WTC title, with India aiming to avoid a second successive heartbreak in the final after their disappointing loss to New Zealand in the inaugural final in 2021.
The criticism from Sourav Ganguly highlights the importance of strong captaincy and the need to capitalize on advantageous situations in high-stakes matches like the WTC final.
