WTC Final 2023: Rohit Sharma with his field placements allowed some easy runs, says Sourav Ganguly

India had Australia on the mat at 76/3 on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023 on Wednesday but the Aussies made a remarkable comeback to be 327/3 at Stumps with Travis Head and Steve Smith putting up a partnership of 251 runs.

WTC Final: How India’s bowling fell to pieces on Day 1

While Smith made 95 off 227 balls and struggled with his rhythm for a long period of time, it was Head who titled the momentum in Australia’s favour. The left-hander smashed 146 not out off 156 balls and dismantled India’s control over the proceedings.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was critical of Rohit Sharma’s field placements as Head took the game away from India on Day 1.

Read: Gavaskar slams Team India for leaving out Ashwin

India removed the close-in fielders once Head took an aggressive approach and spread the field which later made runs scoring easy for the Australian.

“India will be a bit disappointed. They had Australia at 76/3 and let them get off the hook. I know that partnerships happen in cricket. There will be a batting team who will come back and play well. I thought India started well just after Lunch but lost the feel a bit as the game progressed,” Ganguly said at the Tea.

Read: Hussain questions Hardik’s absence from Team India

“I thought they let Travis Head get off the hook very easily. I know he has been in good form, he has scored a lot of runs, but still they were 76/3. I think Rohit Sharma with his field placements at that stage probably allowed some easy runs to happen and now Australia are in a good position.

India would hope for a strong start to Day 2 on Thursday as they look to mount a comeback into the WTC final.

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