After 1st Test Loss, Rohit Sharma's Blunt Message To "Other 3" Pacers says, "When You Get Opportunity..."
On Thursday, dejected Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said Jasprit Bumrah lacked support from the other end as there was no reason to concede more than 400 runs on a bowling friendly track where South African speedsters showed how to go about the job. India lost the opening Test inside three days by an innings and 32 runs after scoring 245 and 131 in the two innings, but the game-changer certainly was being taken for 408 runs by South Africa in their first innings.
Save Bumrah, who took four wickets, and to an extent, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Prasidh Krishna got past their lives.
"This was not a 400-run wicket, and we gave up too many runs. We sprayed the ball all around, but it happened. One can't depend on one particular bowler, Bumrah; the other three pacers also needed to perform their roles; we could learn from how South Africa bowled," Rohit said after the match.
He admitted that although there wasn't a lack of effort, Bumrah couldn't alone keep the pressure on Proteas batters.
The skipper observed, "Bumrah bowled well, and we all know his quality. All he wanted was a bit of support, which he didn't get. That happens. All three tried hard, bending their backs, but it didn't happen the way we wanted it to. But games like these teach you a lot as to what you want to do as a bowling unit.”
He also said, "When you get an opportunity, you should be grateful and come out and do the job for the team. Obviously, it didn't work out well for him, and playing your first game, we all would have been nervous; he would have been nervous as well.”