‘Wasn’t a great decision’ – Dinesh Karthik criticises Rohit Sharma's strategies on Day 1 of 4th Test

Australia put up their best batting display after choosing to bat first on Day 1 of the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.  Usman Khawaja's unbeaten century took Australia to 255/4 in 90 overs at stumps on Day 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The opening batter was brilliant and will resume batting with Cameron Green (49*) on Day 2.

Veteran India wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik was unhappy with the tactics of skipper Rohit Sharma on Day 1. Karthik feels that Rohit tried to keep bringing his side back but failed with his tricks at the end of the day. 

"I liked it for the large part of the day. He was proactive in field placings. He didn't use the usual method of keeping silly point, short leg. There wasn't a single bat pad and the ball didn't lob up or anything. He kept things tight consistently. After the first hour, he pulled it back, got 4 wickets. Then during that middle phase when Smith and Khawaja were playing, he held it tight and didn't give them easy boundaries," Karthik said while speaking to Cricbuzz.

'Where is Axar Patel in the mix - the third spinner?' - Dinesh Karthik

Karthik questioned the India skipper’s decision to take the second new ball when the spinners looked settled. He also questioned Rohit over his handling of Axar Patel, who bowled 12 overs in comparison to Ashwin's 25 and Jadeja's 20. 

"But I think him taking the new ball at that stage wasn't a great decision. In the hindsight he should have looked back and said 'Should I have bowled 9 overs with it? Or maybe 4-5? That is one. And second. Axar Patel is a very interesting case study in Rohit Sharma's captaincy so far. He's got 2 pillars of Indian cricket in Jadeja and Ashwin and he is giving them a large volume of overs. But where is Axar Patel in the mix - the third spinner? We have seen him do well with the new ball; at least if you've taken the new ball, could he have taken the opportunity to bowl with it? He's got bounce, it's his home conditions," Karthik added.

"Also we have to remember that as a captain when you've got 3 spinners, it's always hard. Spinners bowl longer spell but you also get the feeling that he has under-bowled Axar to a point. It looks good when you're winning; when you're not it appears a problem. I wouldn't fault Rohit too much for it. But is there something Rohit can do to change in Test matches which are aiding spinners," he concluded.

Australia made it their day as they scored 56/0 in the first 14 overs before Ashwin and Mohammed Shami picked two wickets. In the second session, Smith and opener Khawaja added a fifty-run partnership. Meanwhile, Smith and Peter Handscomb got dismissed in the final session as Australia were down to 170/4 in the final session. However, the visitors bounced back and scored over 100 in that session.

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