'He didn’t have any answer': Michael Vaughan slams Rohit Sharma's captaincy in scathing analysis

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, criticized Rohit Sharma's captaincy as 'average' following Team India's 28-run defeat in the first Test in Hyderabad on January 28. Vaughan observed that Rohit appeared to lack effective responses to Ollie Pope's ball manipulation, emphasizing the need for a more proactive approach in terms of bowling and fielding.

3 things you need to know

• This is the first time India lost a Test match in Hyderabad
• This is the fourth Test match India lost at home since 2012
• The last time India lost a Test series at home was against England

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Michael Vaughan slams Rohit Sharma's captaincy

Ollie Pope's outstanding performance, including his first Test century on Asian soil, played a crucial role in England erasing the 190-run deficit and securing a lead. The right-hander's innovative use of sweeps and reverse sweeps during his impressive 196-run innings shifted the momentum in favor of the visitors, resulting in them taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

“In India's first Test defeat in Hyderabad, I thought Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was very, very average. I thought he was so reactive, I don’t think he manoeuvred his field or was proactive with his bowling changes. And he didn’t have any answer to Ollie Pope’s sweeps or reverse sweeps,” Michael Vaughan said. 

"The greatest spinner I’ve seen, Shane Warne, would go around the wicket and get the player to sweep the leg side and say good luck trying to do that. I didn’t see any of that from India. It was just all too easy. The way that England play, they will always score boundaries," Vaughan added.