Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has lauded Rohit Sharma’s elegant batting style, likening it to relaxing in a leather lounge chair with a cup of coffee. While discussing Rohit’s second-innings dismissal in the ongoing pink-ball Test in Adelaide, Hayden also emphasized the unique challenges posed by the pink ball under lights.
Speaking on Star Sports, Hayden drew parallels between Rohit Sharma’s effortless batting style and players like Mark Waugh and Shubman Gill, who make cricket appear deceptively simple.
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“One remark quickly on Rohit Sharma: He plays cricket like he’s sitting on a leather lounge chair and reclining with a cup of coffee. You’ve got to admire the different styles that arrive in Test cricket. Virat Kohli, very hard at the ball, a busy player. Rohit Sharma’s too easy. He’s more in the category of the Mark Waughs, the Shubman Gills,” Hayden said.
He added, “It’s easy to comment on dismissals as soft, but it’s the same quality of Rohit’s batting—his time and ease—that we admire the most.”
Hayden also defended Sharma’s dismissal, stressing the difficulty of playing under lights with the pink ball. He called the conditions “horrendous” for batters, citing how the ball behaves unpredictably in night games.
“Don’t be too disappointed. He got an absolute jaffer of a delivery under these lights. The pink ball exposes everyone and anyone, no matter how technically sound,” he explained.
Sharma was dismissed for 6 runs by Australian captain Pat Cummins, bowled by a delivery that exploited the seam-friendly conditions. His early departure left India in trouble, with the team struggling at 128/5 at the close of Day 2, trailing by 29 runs.
Also See: India tour of Australia full schedule and match updates
Australia’s dominance with both bat and ball has put them on the verge of another pink-ball Test victory. With India reeling under the pressure of the Adelaide conditions, the visitors face an enormous challenge heading into Day 3.
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