Published 12:37 IST, July 15th 2023
Rohit Sharma angry with Ishan Kishan for not scoring quickly, declares immediately - WATCH
From the dressing room, Rohit could be seen making animated hand gestures, expressing his frustration as Kishan showed little intent to score runs quickly.
India on Friday defeated the West Indies in the first Test of their two-match series. India won the match at Windsor Park in Dominica by an innings and 141 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a spectacular spell to take a seven-wicket haul in the final innings of the match. Earlier, he had picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Apart from Ashwin, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja also performed well.
3 things you need to know
- Ishan Kishan made his debut in the first Test against West Indies
- Kishan did a good job with the gloves, taking sharp catches
- Rohit Sharma, however, was not happy with his batting display
Also Read: 'At No Stage He Was Panicking': Rohit Sharma Applauds Yashasvi Jaiswal's After 1st Test Victory
Rohit shows frustration
The first Test match between India and West Indies witnessed notable performances from debutants Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan. However, Kishan's batting debut in red-ball cricket during the second session of Day 3 didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped. Similar to Jaiswal, who took 17 balls to score his first runs, Kishan struggled to find his rhythm. While Jaiswal's patience and resilience were praised after he scored a brilliant century, Kishan faced criticism, especially from captain Rohit Sharma.
Based on Rohit Sharma's reaction, it seemed India was considering a declaration after Kohli's dismissal at 76. Kishan might have been assigned the responsibility to score quick runs. However, the left-handed batsman took 20 balls to score his first runs in Test cricket. When Kishan finally reached that milestone, an unhappy Rohit Sharma promptly signaled him and Ravindra Jadeja (37*) to return to the pavilion. At that point, India stood at 421/5, holding a lead of 271 runs.
— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) July 15, 2023
From the dressing room, Rohit could be seen making animated hand gestures, expressing his frustration as Kishan showed little intent to score runs quickly. It wasn't just Kishan who faced difficulty; the entire Indian batting lineup struggled with scoring rates. Even those who managed to reach double figures failed to achieve a strike rate of 50 or more. Both Jaiswal and Rohit, despite their centuries, had modest strike rates of 44.18 and 46.60 respectively.
Scoring was so tough that even Virat Kohli took 81 balls to hit his first boundary. He celebrated every four he managed during his innings of 76 runs. In the end, all it mattered was India won the match by a significant margin to take a 1-0 lead in the series. India cannot lose the series from here even if it goes down in the second Test.
Rohit Sharma gives the reason behind his animated gesture to Ishan Kishan
When asked about his animated gesture to Ishan Kishan during a post-match presentation, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stated that he wanted Ishan to open his account before calling the batters back in the hut, and even revealed that he let the batters know that they only have “an over or so” before the declaration.
I was just letting them know we have an over or so before declaring. I wanted Ishan to get off the mark, wanted to tell him to get his personal mark and then we had to declare. I could see that he was always eager to bat, it could be frustrating for them.
Following Rohit's gesture, Ishan promptly took a run off the very next delivery and the India captain declared the innings straightaway.
Image: Twitter
Updated 12:37 IST, July 15th 2023