Sanjay Manjerekar Calls Rohit Sharma 'Top Man', as India Captain Admits He 'Couldn’t Read the Pitch Well'

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday said he was “hurting” after opting to bat first on a seaming pitch as hosts fell to a dismal 46 all out against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.

“We felt there was not much grass on the pitch and it will do whatever it has to do in the first couple of sessions and then it is going to take a turn as the game goes on,” Rohit told reporters at the end of day’s play.

“We expected the wicket to be flatter than what it turned out to be. So clearly misjudgement of the pitch.

“Obviously I didn’t read the pitch enough and we sit in that situation today.”

Sanjay Manjrekar took to social media to applaud Rohit Sharma for taking ownership of his side’s performance.

He posted on X: “Love Rohit Sharma’s honesty & big heartedness. Saying he didn’t read the pitch well enough. Not blaming anyone. Top man!”

Kiwi fast bowlers Matt Henry and William O’Rourke wreaked havoc in overcast conditions to dismiss India in 31.2 overs on the first Test’s second afternoon in Bengaluru.

It was India’s third-lowest Test score ever and lowest at home, worse than their 75 against the West Indies in New Delhi in 1987.

Their lowest overall is 36 against Australia in a pink-ball Adelaide Test in 2020. They fell for 42 against England at Lord’s in 1974.

Five Indian batsmen including Virat Kohli got out for a duck as Henry and O’Rourke shared nine wickets between them in a rare show of domination by opposition bowlers in India.

“I am hurting a little bit because I made that call,” said Rohit. “But we want to challenge ourselves.

“This time it didn’t come off, the challenge that was thrown at us.”

Rohit was equally candid to admit that his side did not respond to the challenge offered by the Kiwis pacers.

“The challenge that was thrown at us, we didn’t respond well. Sometimes you make the right call, sometimes you don’t. I was on the other side of it this time around,” he said.

“Today was a bad day for us. But we have played many such matches before. But we should challenge ourselves as much as we can,” he asserted.

(With inputs from Agencies)