Rohit Sharma Remains Calm As New Zealand Poke The Indian Bear

India lost the first Test to New Zealand at Bengaluru after being bowled out for 46. Rohit Sharma didn’t sound too worried. He has good reason.

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BENGALURU, INDIA – OCTOBER 18: Rohit Sharma of India walks back after being dismissed during day … [+] three of the First Test match between India and New Zealand at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on October 18, 2024 in Bengaluru, India. (Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images) India skipper Rohit Sharma is not one to press the panic button. While three- and-a-half hours was enough to make India T20 World Champions in June after a thrilling encounter with South Africa in Barbados, “three hours of bad cricket” was not going to be the takeaway from his side’s eight-wicket first Test defeat to New Zealand in Bengaluru. India had an outage in the brains department last week when they chose to bat first on a gloomy morning, bringing the kind of overcast conditions into play that the Kiwis seamers were well-equipped for. It was reminiscent of the 2019 World Cup semi-final at a murky Manchester when Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were all dismissed for one. Matt Henry came back to taunt them again five years later alongside the impressive 23-year-old Will O’Rourke. Sharma admitted that he misread the pitch. Three spinners was an overload on a seaming English-style morning and his batting unit promptly began a processional march back to the pavilion. Incredibly, there were more ducks (five) than boundaries (four) as the hosts crashed to 46 all out in just over 30 overs of agony. There’s always background noise in India after a defeat of any kind, let alone one of this magnitude. However, the World No. 1 Test team have been here before. When the captain emerged from the dressing room, held his hands up and spoke with a straightforward turn of phrase, the disappointment was diluted. Rohit doesn’t overindulge the positive Bazball messaging. He says it once and lets it lie. His pulse rate is the same, win or lose. Doing defeat well, explaining the practical reasons for the loss, and relying on that formidable home record of 18 consecutive series wins to fight back is what echoed loudest after this rogue rollercoaster of a match. New Zealand surely couldn’t lose when they built up a 356-run lead, but the Indian fightback, led by Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan in the second knock, was as bold as they come. The hosts were threatening to put on a very tricky run chase when their luck ran out against the second new ball. Rohit knows that even in defeat, India have put a shot across the bows of the visitors to suggest normal service resumes soon. The Black Caps’ overall record in India is 17 losses, 17 draws and three wins. This was their first victory in 36 years. “When you are actually behind, you want to try and do extraordinary things and play without any fear. It’s one thing to talk about it, but actually we went out there and played some fearless cricket,” he said. That they did. Rohit was both genuine and clever in giving Rachin Ravindra, who scored 173 runs in the match, and Devon Conway full credit for the way they played. He also made sure everyone knows that India can take the first punch and counter. Witness England’s fast starts in the 2021 and 2023 tours that were powered by big centuries from Joe Root and Ollie Pope. What happened next? India wound up the pressure meter and England cracked. “Anyone who is coming to India now, they are trying to put the pressure on the bowlers by doing different things, different methods but we know exactly what we are supposed to do when a situation like that arises,” said the 37-year-old. The plan for Pune and the final Test at Mumbai is to create the conditions for the trio of spinners out of Axar Patel, Ravi Ashwin, Ravi Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav to dominate. What’s good enough for Pakistan at Multan can also work for a far more coherent outfit. BENGALURU, INDIA – OCTOBER 20: Rohit Sharma of India and Tom Latham of New Zealand talk after day … [+] five of the First Test match between India and New Zealand at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Bengaluru, India. (Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images) For all of New Zealand’s excellent cricket and a blinding spell by O’Rourke when India were threatening a huge score in he second innings, Rohit has the authority and the personnel to drag it back. India also know they need to win the series to keep their top spot at the head of the World Test Championship. The victory in Barbados was their first ICC trophy for eleven years. India have the taste for silverware and want a third crack at the World mace. The work starts on Thursday when Rohit will continue to go bold but without the Bazball bluster. The Indian bear is also known as the sloth. Expect a faster and sharper beast to get their claws into the opposition. One Community. 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