Rahul’s dismissal sparks sharp criticism from Bangar
Five India batsmen made good use of the only warmup match ahead of the Test series in Australia to hit fifties but opener KL Rahul fell for three, sparking criticism from assistant coach Sanjay Bangar who feels he is ‘finding new ways to get himself out’.
Rahul — who had scored a century in the last Test against England at the Oval but had mediocre outings at home against West Indies — was dismissed playing a loose drive on the up and was caught at mid off within the first hour of play. But five batsmen, including Virat Kohli and Prithvi Shaw, scored half-centuries as India batsmen got much-needed practice.
“He (Rahul) has been looking in good shape, including today. It is just that he is finding new ways to get out. Even today, the ball was quite afar when he played it away from his body and lost his wicket. But what we are reading he is playing the ball well and he is one hit away (from form),” Bangar said after the day’s play.
“We know his ability and if he converts that to performances then it is important for the team. He is not a young player anymore and he is on his second tour here. He has played 30 Tests and he has a responsibility. We expect him to play with that responsibility and play his role for the team,” he said.
With Shikhar Dhawan out of contention for Tests, the second opener’s slot is up for grabs. “We will keep a close eye on how the second innings goes and it gives some other batsmen a hit especially Murali Vijay and middle order batsmen, and see how they go,” he said.
Shaw topped the scoreboard with 66 off 69 deliveries with the help of 11 boundaries. Kohli scored an 87-ball 64 while Hanuma Vihari too sparkled with an 88-ball 53. On a touch slower side was Ajinkya Rahane (56 retired, off 123 balls with just one boundary) but Cheteshwar Pujara showed promise in an 89-ball 54. Even Rohit Sharma scored 40 off 55 deliveries.
Brief scores (Day 2): India 358 all out in 92 ovs (P Shaw 66, C Pujara 54, V Kohli 64, A Rahane 56, H Vihari 53, R Sharma 40, A Hardie 4/50) v CA Australia XI 24/0 in 4 ovs.
SYDNEY: