Rohit Sharma’s hot-and-cold form in Test cricket continued in the second Test match against New Zealand, as he was dismissed for a duck by Tim Southee late on day one. With India having bowled out the Kiwis for 259, the memo would have been for the openers to preserve their wickets overnight, but Rohit had no answers as his off-stump was knocked back by the experienced New Zealand pacer.

This marked the 14th time that Rohit has been dismissed by Southee in international cricket, tying him alongside Kagiso Rabada for the bowler who has taken Rohit’s wicket most often with 14.

Rohit’s dismissal acted as a source of frustration for Indian fans, who would have hoped for the captain to lead from the front and ensure that his team could provide a positive result in Pune to help level the series. Shubman Gill was forced to join Yashasvi Jaiswal to try and see out a testing end to day’s play instead, with the game now hanging in the balance heading into day two.

Social media was quick to point out how Rohit has struggled in Test cricket since the turn of the year, with a couple of landmark innings against England but also a host of poor performances against South Africa, Bangladesh, and now New Zealand.

Viewers also noted that Rohit’s dismissal was the only one conceded to pace, with the 10 wickets in New Zealand’s innings all coming to spin.

India in a vulnerable position

The pressure will now be on India’s young set of batters as well as Virat Kohli to keep the team’s noses in front with a strong batting performance to establish a first innings lead.

Earlier in the day, the Kiwis had another strong start thanks to Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. However, following Ravichandran Ashwin’s three wickets to begin proceedings, Washington Sundar provided immediate impact upon his return to the Test arena.

Sundar took the final seven wickets of the innings to finish with impressive figures of 7-59, including the dismissals of Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. The Kiwis were 197-3, but Sundar’s flurry of wickets with the older ball meant that they couldn’t make significant runs.

India ended the day on 16-1, with Jaiswal and Gill faced with the task of setting a solid foundation for the middle order to follow.

Read Also: Sachin Tendulkar drops witty one-liner as Washington Sundar's 7/59 wrecks NZ batting order in 2nd Test

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON !