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Shoaib Bashir dismissed Indian skipper Rohit Sharma early during the second Test between India and England in Visakhapatnam. The 20-year-old Bashir's skillful bowling earned him his first Test wicket in just his fourth over. Bashir, who replaced the injured Jack Leach in the playing XI, entered the attack in the 12th over following Joe Root and James Anderson's opening spell with the new ball.
In just his fourth over, Bashir's off-break outwitted the well-settled Rohit, tempting a leg glance that was caught by Ollie Pope at leg slip. This maiden Test wicket, a moment of immense significance for any bowler, held particular gratification for Bashir, owing to his consistent line and length throughout his spell.
Indian openers remained cautious in the initial hour, while England's bowlers upheld their discipline. However, Rohit's departure, after a meager 14 runs from 41 balls without any boundaries, disrupted India's momentum. The Indian skipper appeared determined to rectify his performance from the previous Hyderabad Test defeat, but his vigilant approach ultimately led to his premature dismissal.
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Despite India still boasting batting depth, the absence of key players like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul poses an additional challenge.
Earlier, Rohit won the toss and elected to bat first against England in the second Test on February 2. Rohit confirmed that India were making three changes, handing Rajat Patidar his debut cap, while Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar replaced Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj, respectively. England awarded a maiden Test cap Bashir, who filled in for the injured Jack Leach, while veteran pacer James Anderson took the place of Mark Wood.
"It looks a good pitch, we've got to play good cricket to win the game," Rohit said after winning the toss.
"What happened in Hyderabad, we'll take some positives and move quickly on. We didn't bat with the same intent in the second innings and it was a brilliant knock by Ollie. Hopefully we can correct those mistakes and not repeat them”, the Indian captain added.
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