ICC World Test Championship Final: "The Only Way He Could Have Got Out..." - Harbhajan Singh Slams Rohit Sharma's Shot Selection

ICC World Test Championship Final: “The Only Way He Could Have Got Out…” – Harbhajan Singh Slams Rohit Sharma’s Shot Selection

by Sai VaitlaJune 11, 2023

Last Update on: June 11th, 2023 at 11:47 am

Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was not impressed with skipper Rohit Sharma’s dismissal in India’s second innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Oval in London. Harbhajan Singh said that Rohit Sharma fell into the trap of Nathan Lyon on the penultimate day of the match.

Rohit Sharma looked solid, but he threw his wicket while playing a sweep shot in Nathan Lyon’s bowling on Saturday, June 10. The Indian skipper scored 43 runs off 60 balls with the help of seven boundaries and a six. The Men in Blue scored 164 runs for the loss of three wickets at the stumps on Day 4.

Rohit Sharma Got Trapped By Nathan Lyon’s Thinking – Harbhajan Singh

During a discussion on Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh said that Rohit Sharma played a bad shot while Nathan Lyon was bowling on the stump line.

“He went around the wicket so that he can get bowled and lbw into play. There is no rough created for him on the pitch. So he will have to bowl within the stumps. When you bowl within the stumps, you are the happiest when someone sweeps you from that angle, because anything you miss, you can be given out,” Harbhajan said.

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“Rohit Sharma got trapped by Nathan Lyon’s thinking. The only way he could have got out was by playing the sweep shot. If he had looked for singles and doubles, there isn’t that much spin or bounce that could have troubled you. Bad shot in my opinion. You just had to occupy the crease which he was already doing,” he added.

He Got Out To The Only Bad Shot He Played – Harbhajan Singh

The cricketer-turned-commentator said that India would’ve been in a formidable position to win the match had Rohit Sharma been unbeaten at the end of the day’s play.

“Very good, they were scoring at five runs an over until Rohit was batting. It is a big thing to score five runs an over in Test cricket. We are seeing 164 runs on the scoreboard because of the first 95 runs India scored,” he further added.

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“Till the time he was at the crease, it didn’t seem like the opposition had a chance. He got out to the only bad shot he played. This is the best we have seen him bat in the last two-and-a-half to three months. If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had been batting, I would have said that this match is 50-50,” he concluded.

Virat Kohli came to the crease after Rohit’s dismissal. The former Indian captain played controlled shots throughout his innings. Kohli remained unbeaten with a score of 44 runs off 60 deliveries.

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