Team India captain Rohit Sharma showcased his fiery side on Day 3 of the recently-concluded first Test against West Indies in Dominica.
The focus of his ire was debutant Ishan Kishan who drew the captain’s frustration with his batting approach in the middle.
The incident unfolded when Kishan walked out to bat following the dismissal of Virat Kohli, who had scored a magnificent 76 runs.
Rohit was seen making animated gestures towards Kishan, expressing his displeasure. It appeared that Rohit was unhappy with Kishan’s slow scoring rate, as the captain had intended to declare India’s innings once Kohli got out.
Kishan, who took 20 balls to open his account, was under scrutiny as Rohit expected a quicker tempo to the innings. After the confrontation, Kishan managed to take a single on the very next ball before both he and Ravindra Jadeja were called back to the pavilion.
— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) July 15, 2023
After bowling out West Indies for a meagre 150 runs in the first innings, India capitalized on centuries from debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit to amass a total of 421/5d.
With a substantial first-innings lead of 261 runs, India returned to dismantle the West Indies’ batting lineup, restricting them to just 130 runs. The comprehensive win was secured by an innings and 140 runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin played a stellar role with the ball, capturing a total of 12 wickets.
In the post-match presentation, Rohit revealed the reason behind his animated gestures towards Kishan. His comments provided insights into the team dynamics and highlighted the importance of clear communication and desired approach to the game.
“I was just letting them know we have an over or so before declaring. I wanted Ishan to get off the mark, wanted to tell him to get his personal mark and then we had to declare. I could see that he was always eager to bat, it could be frustrating for them,” said Rohit.
