THE GREAT GAMBLE didn't come off. The opening didn't need any fixing; Rohit Sharma's batting did. But the most bewildering event was not that Rohit opened but the way he went about it. The shot he got out wasn't one of intent nor was he 'smashing' the ball. Rohit was slow in the movements and hesitant in the mind.
If the reason for his elevation was to bat with more freedom, as an attacking mindset can get the feet, hands, eyes sharper, the Indian captain should have tried that approach first in the middle order when the ball turns softer and isn't seaming around. Caution isn't working lower down, so let's try with some white-ball adventurism at the top — Test cricket doesn't work like that.
In case openers KL Rahul or Yashasvi Jaiswal had been struggling, Rohit's elevation would have made sense. But with his form, and more importantly the form and touch of the openers, the change of batting order wasn't really warranted.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Musk, Altman spar over $100-bn AI venture hyped by Prez Trump
ELON MUSK OPENLY questioned whether companies that joined President Donald Trump's announcement promising hundreds of billions of dollars in artificial intelligence infrastructure could follow through on their promises, exposing an early internal rift within the White House.
OpenAI to Indian court: Can't delete ChatGPT training data
'BREACH OF US LEGAL OBLIGATIONS'
After NSA, foreign secretary to visit China on January 26-27
MOVING TO RESUME bilateral engagements after the disengagement at the India-China border, foreign secretary Vikram Misri will travel to Beijing on January 26-27 for a meeting of the \"foreign secretary-vice minister mechanism between India and China\".
Ujjivan SFB Q3 profit slumps 64% to ₹109 cr
UJJIVAN SMALL FINANCE Bank on Thursday reported a 64% decline in its net profit to ₹109 crore for the third quarter amid a spike in bad loan provisions and higher interest expenses.
Rising competition from global banks may lower pricing on loans: Barclays
A RENEWED PUSH by Japan's major banks and other global lenders in India is driving down loan prices with the new players having more appetite for riskier credit, according to the country head for Barclays Plc.
Maruti Suzuki cars to cost more from Feb 1
MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA on Thursday said it will hike prices by up to ₹32,500 across various models from February 1 to partially offset the rise in input costs.
West Asia and North Africa Top Market for Engineering Exports
WEST ASIA AND North Africa (WANA) emerged as the biggest buyer of engineering products from India for the first time ever in December, pushing North America to the second slot, the commerce ministry data showed.
$100-bn court challenge for Goldman and friends
BANKS ARE USED to fending off litigation.
Real Madrid Is First Club To Top $1-Bn Revenue
REAL MADRID BECAME the first soccer team to register one billion euros ($1.04 billion) in revenue in a single season in 2023-24, with the Spanish side topping the Deloitte Football Money League as the world's highest revenue-generating club once again.
Gaza ceasefire puts Netanyahu in tough spot
EVEN BEFORE IT WAS signed, the Gaza ceasefire forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a tight spot - between a new US president promising peace and far-right allies who want war to resume.
