Published 10:44 IST, February 9th 2021
Virat Kohli urged to bring Mayank Agarwal back after Rohit Sharma's failures in Chennai
Twitter erupted after Rohit Sharma once again threw away his wicket cheaply as fans urged Virat Kohli to replace the 33-year-old with Mayank Agarwal.
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India's mammoth chase of 420 in the final session on Day 4 of the India vs England 1st Test began on an abysmal note after they lost seasoned Rohit Sharma for just 12. The right-hander started his innings on a high as he fetched a four and a six off Jofra Archer on consecutive balls. However, a lapse in concentration against Jack Leach saw him throw away his wicket.
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Fans disappointed with Rohit Sharma's consistent failures, back Mayank Agarwal to open
Rohit's vulnerability against left-arm spinners was exposed once again as he was cleaned up by Leach while playing down the wrong line, thus continuing with his poor run of form. Rohit who made a comeback after recovering from an injury during the final two Tests in Australia hasn't been at his best. The 33-year old managed to score just 129 runs across four innings at a dismal average of 32.25 in the tour Down Under.
Considering Rohit's sensational record at home, it was expected that the batsman would once again be back amongst the runs. However, his outings in the India vs England 1st Test have been extremely disappointing. In the two innings of the first Test against England, Rohit has managed scores of 6 and 12.
Twitter erupted after the Mumbai based cricketer once again failed to perform when his team needed him the most. Several reactions poured in as fans slammed Rohit Sharma and urged captain Virat Kohli to give a chance to Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul who are warming the bench. Here's a look at a few reactions.
I think rohit is more a white ball player..yes last season he scored more runs in test still..mayank shld be our test opener
— iAkashThomas (@AkashTh21436889) February 8, 2021
Can invest in Mayank and Gill
— vishnu sai (@vishnusaiv) February 8, 2021
RS is already close to 33 or 34
Anytime i am reminded of Mayank Agarwal
— Sahil (@cricketsahil10) February 8, 2021
I feel so gutted man Did so much work to reach here & sitting out due to a few failures
I hope he somehow gets back his place..
Irrespective of the result tomorrow, India surely needs to make 2 changes in the team for 2nd test. Bring in Mayank & Kuldeep in place of Rohit & Nadeem.
— Jiten Gajaria (@jitengajaria) February 8, 2021
Prithvi Shaw was dropped after scoring 1 50+ inning in his last 6 innings which all came in SENA
— #MakePantViceCaptain (@Aivy_one8) February 8, 2021
Mayank Agarwal was dropped after 4 failures even after top scoring in Newzealand for India all in Overseas
Rohit Sharma has just 1 50+ score in last 8 innings in which 4 are at home
I think it is time for Rohit to go in tests. 3 consecutive tests he has failed from the same match situation. If people cannot learn from the past, they cannot stay. Hope Mayank/KL open and then Axar replaces Nadeem.
— Balaji Viswanathan (@balajivis) February 8, 2021
In the second match, Rahul should be given a chance in place of Rohit.#ENGvIND #INDvsENG
— Shivam Jaiswal 🇮🇳 ❤️ (@7shivamjaiswal) February 8, 2021
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India vs England live score update
After gaining a massive lead of 241, England scored runs at a brisk rate and were eventually bowled out for 178. Skipper Joe Root top-scored with 40 whereas Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers for India with sensational figures of 6/11. India didn't have the best of starts to their second innings as they lost the opener, Rohit Sharma, for 12. At Stumps on Day 4, India's scoreboard read 39/1 with the hosts needing another 381 runs on the final day.
The Day 5 began on an awful note for the hosts as they lost Pujara early who was dismissed by Leach for 15. At the time of publishing this article, India's scoreboard read 87/2 after 25 overs with Shubman Gill batting on 45 and Virat Kohli unbeaten on 10. India have a herculean task in front of them to survive the final day on a turning Chepauk pitch. England, on the other hand, need 8 wickets to go 1-0 up in the series.
SOURCE: CRICKET.COM.AU
10:44 IST, February 9th 2021