Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: India captain Rohit Sharma endured another failure in Test cricket, getting dismissed for a duck on the first day of the second Test against New Zealand in Pune on Thursday.
Kiwi pacer Tim Southee silenced the Pune crowd with a stunning delivery that sent Rohit packing. Rohit was completely squared up in defense as the ball moved away off the seam.
Delivered on a good length around middle and off, he attempted to defend from the crease but was caught off guard as it nipped away slightly.The ball slipped past the edge and clipped the top of off stump after a slight deflection off his back pad.
That marked the 14th instance of Southee dismissing Rohit across all formats of international cricket, making him the bowler to dismiss Rohit the most times. This also ties with Kagiso Rabada as the bowler Rohit has been dismissed by most frequently.
In the match, Washington Sundar made a spectacular return to India’s Test side, taking seven wickets to help bundle New Zealand out for 259.
Off-spinner Sundar took 7-59 while fellow off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin had 3-64 as New Zealand were all out in 79.1 overs.
At the close of play in Pune, India was 16 for 1, with Yashasvi Jaiswal on six and Shubman Gill on ten, leaving the hosts trailing by 243 runs.
