Anil Kapoor’s Son Slammed Rohit Sharma’s Poor Captaincy And Praised Virat Kohli: Day 1 of the WTC Final 2023 at The Oval belonged to the Australians as they finished on 327/3 in 85 overs, their scoring rate being a brilliant 3.85 runs per over while India’s bowlers looked hapless in front of the dominating duo of Travis Head and Steve Smith.
Shami and Siraj started off well to contain the run rate with the latter dismissing Usman Khawaja early before Shardul Thakur took out Warner. On the first ball after Lunch, Shami bowled Marnus Labuschagne and the match hung in balance with Australia at 76/3.
After that, however, India lost control of the proceedings: with Steve Smith holding his end, Travis Head counterattacked spectacularly. The left-hander reached his fifty off 60 balls and century off 106 balls while Smith motored along steadily at the other end.
Head finished the day at 146* off 156 balls Smith on 95* off 227 balls, their partnership being 251* (370). India’s bowlers didn’t try to innovate with the short ball ploy early on, allowing Head to race away in his innings, and did it way later when he was nearing his century.
Smith remained resolute and barely gave chances. As their partnership swelled the Indian bowlers and captain began to look dispirited, their shoulders drooping and the noise among the crowd going down.
Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor misses India’s Test era under Virat Kohli’s captaincy
Looking at this sight of the Indian players losing their mojo during the Head-Smith partnership, renowned Bollywood actor Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor, the son of legendary Anil Kapoor, remembered India’s passionate displays under Virat Kohli’s captaincy.
He reckons it’s a “Terrible tragedy” that Virat Kohli isn’t the Test captain anymore. The Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018) fame also felt it was a “poor” selection from Rohit Sharma to drop R Ashwin.
“Terrible tragedy that @imVkohli isn’t test captain anymore there is no intensity / hunger without him at the helm the players are passive and just going through the motions under Rohit .. poor team selection also Ashwin had to play + Bumrah out through injury is a huge blow,” Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor tweeted.
