Rohit Sharma bats for 3-match series, cries foul over Shubman Gill's dismissal after Australia win WTC title
Rohit Sharma expressed his dissatisfaction with the limited camera angles employed by the third umpire during Shubman Gill's dismissal.
FollowIndia's captain, Rohit Sharma, blamed the crushing defeat in the World Test Championship against Australia on poor bowling in the first innings. However, he emphasised that the team's commendable efforts over the past two years cannot be undermined.
Following their previous loss to New Zealand in the WTC final of the 2019-21 cycle, India failed to deliver in their second appearance in the final, allowing Australia to add another trophy to their collection.
India struggled to contain Australia, who posted a massive total of 469 runs in their first innings. In response, India faltered and were eventually dismissed for 234 runs.
The outcome of the match was determined when Steve Smith took a sharp catch in the slip to dismiss Virat Kohli for 49 runs off Scott Boland's bowling, as India resumed their chase on the final day.
With a daunting target of 280 runs remaining for victory, India could only muster a meager 70 runs in the slightly extended morning session, as the Australian bowlers dominated proceedings.
"It was a tough one. We started well, winning the toss and putting them into bat in those conditions. We bowled pretty well in the first session and then we let ourselves down a little bit with how we bowled," Rohit said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Rohit Sharma was unhappy about the less camera angles being used by the third umpire.
When asked about Gill's dismissal "Only 3 or 4 angles were seen before the umpire was convinced to give it out, he should have seen more angles, in the Indian Premier League there are a lot more angles used"
"But again, credit to the Australian batters, in particular, Travis Head came in and played really well. That took us off guard a bit, and then we knew it was always hard to return. We (did) put up a show.
"We fought hard but congratulations to Australia. We spoke of a lot of things. We spoke of bowling tighter lines. But it didn't work out. Things like that can happen," the India captain said.
Rohit was disappointed for finishing second for as many times in a WTC final but hoped for better returns in days to come.
"We've worked really hard for four years to make two finals. It's disappointment for us. We would like to go one better. But you cannot take anything away from what we've done in the two years. It's a great effort.
"A lot of players took part in those series. We'll keep our heads high and fight for the next championship as well," he said.
Rohit also said, "I prefer to have a 3-match test series over a one-off Test, it gives both the teams a fair opportunity.
Rohit praised the pair of Ajinkya Rahane (89 and 46) and Shardul Thakur, who added 109 runs for the seventh wicket in the second innings to lead India's recovery from 151 for six in reply to Australia's first-innings total of 469.
Rohit praised the partnership between Ajinkya Rahane (89 and 46) and Shardul Thakur, as they combined to add 109 runs for the seventh wicket during India's second innings. This remarkable partnership played a crucial role in India's revival after being in a precarious position at 151 for 6.
"I thought it was a great fightback from Rahane and Shardul after being 5 down for 150. They stood up and put up a good partnership there and kept us in the game," he said.
Rohit said the pitch, despite several batters getting hit on the body and being troubled by variable bounce, played out well here at The Oval.
"We bowled pretty well in the second innings. Again we didn't apply ourselves with the bat. It was a good pitch to bat on. All five days the pitch behaved pretty well and we didn't capitalise," the India captain said.
