'Bad Choice': Skipper Rohit Sharma Under Fire For Opting To Bowl First, Matthew Hayden Flags Issues

The third match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy series has officially commenced in Brisbane, with Australia being said to bat first at The Gabba. A major instance has irked the fans and pundits after Rohit Sharma chose to bat first in the game. While the overcast conditions did their job by halting the play in day one, Rohit's decision has irked one of the most prominent Australian cricketers, who calls The Gabba his home ground.

Rohit Sharma's Choice Questioned by Matthew Hayden During Brisbane Test

Matthew Hayden was left surprised after Team India skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bowl first in the Brisbane Test. The Gabba is known to favour the ones who bat first in the pitch, but Rohit Sharma's dubious call irked the former Aussie southpaw. He called out the Indian skipper's decision as a bad choice as he believes The Gabba is a fantastic batting wicket.                                                              

“I’m buying Australia [to win the series]. I’m buying them in this Test match. I’m buying at the toss, the fact that the captain of India, I felt, made a bad choice at the toss. This is a very good batting wicket, batting here is always so damn good in the first three days.

“This Test match will set up the rest of the series, where they will probably come back into their own a little bit, in particular in Sydney. But this Test match, and Melbourne, there’s not an Aussie on the planet who doesn’t love the Boxing Day Test match. So it’s all Australia that my money is going towards,” Matthew Hayden said during a segment for Channel 7

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Wet Conditions Halt Day One of India-Australia Encounter At Brisbane

As Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja demonstrated tenacity in the face of opposition, the Australian openers were successful in holding off the Indian bowlers.  A drizzle affected play when the Australians reached 19 runs. Cricket Australia was undefeated at 28. The Australian hitters scored 28 runs before the rain showers got heavier, and the Indian bowlers were seen straining against them.

Day one of the Brisbane Test had to be called off, which affected nearly a full day of play at The Gabba. The rain continued to pour, which affected the afternoon and evening sessions. At 05:20 AM IST, 09:50 AM Local Time, the Australians will start their second innings at the Gabba. While the weather looks unfavourable throughout the entire course of the match, it is yet to be seen what happens next.  

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