Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary slammed captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir after a humiliating eight-wicket loss in the first Test match against New Zealand which was played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This is the first time since 1988 that Kiwis defeated India in a Test match on home soil.
Tiwary questioned Rohit and Gambhir's decision for India's playing XI in the first Test match where the Men in Blue featured with just two pacers (Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah).
"Sometimes I don't understand the decisions. Common sense seems to be lacking. What the coach or captain is trying to prove, is beyond my understanding," Tiwary said, speaking on the Cricbuzz YouTube channel.
"I feel like, whenever there is a new coach or new captain, they try to prove something, and take such decisions," said Tiwary.
India bowled out for just 46 runs in the first innings where five batters Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin got out on a duck. However, India captain Rohit later admitted that he misled the pitch.
Manoj Tiwary for Gautam Gambhir
Tiwary noted that Rohit acknowledged he misread the pitch conditions. He mentioned that the team would have benefited from including three pace bowlers and suggested that Ashwin should have been utilized more. Additionally, Tiwary felt that Rohit could have received better guidance from coach Gautam Gambhir.
"I knew that one of the spinners would be under-bowled, but I never imagined that it would be Ashwin. He has over 500 Test wickets. When you are defending 107, why didn't you bring him in the attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah?" Tiwary continued.
"Good captains also make mistakes, because a lot of things go through your mind. Here, the role of the coach to give constant guidance is very important, but I don't know why that did not happen," he added.
Manoj Tiwary on Akash Deep
Tiwary also said that pacer Akash Deep's confidence may have been affected after he was dropped from the XI.
"Akash Deep's confidence must've suffered a big blow when he found out he wasn't part of the playing XI against Bangladesh," said Tiwary.
"He was outstanding in the Bangladesh series, and his confidence would've been sky-high. Having seen the conditions on Day 1, he would've been shocked to find out that he'd been dropped from the team," Tiwary added.
India are scheduled to play three Test match series against New Zealand. After losing the first match the Men in Blue will play the second Test match from October 24 to 28 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
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