Rohit Sharma's Captaincy Criticized as Ben Duckett Shines for England

Strong Start for England: England's Ben Duckett's aggressive batting propelled them to a solid start in their first innings during the 3rd Test against India in Rajkot,

[{"selector":"#anim-409beaed-c788-41ff-9fe8-0632bbc767ae","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-57d4bd51-5367-4b39-99a4-fc52786e6bb7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -341.50701%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Delayed Introduction of R Ashwin: Questions arise over Rohit Sharma's captaincy as he delayed the introduction of R Ashwin into the attack, allowing Duckett to capitalize on facing other bowlers without the challenge of Ashwin's spin

[{"selector":"#anim-029bd939-2a5a-4eec-94c8-7b0e11753a76","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-312346a4-cc58-4707-82cf-64aa83fa5149","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -291.57949%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Baffling Strategy: Rohit's decision to delay Ashwin's entry seemed peculiar, especially considering Duckett's previous struggles against Ashwin and the effectiveness of Ashwin's bowling in Test cricket.

[{"selector":"#anim-f144e862-85bf-40b5-8a41-e445ab879f27","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8e3f7fc8-a7d0-4a53-8403-d74616bf1ecd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -307.83681%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Duckett's Aggressive Batting: Duckett's aggressive approach, particularly with the sweep shot, unsettled the Indian bowlers, including left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav,

[{"selector":"#anim-dd23a5c6-8f15-4c29-acfa-178e5874b7a4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-703cd381-45f0-4e55-ab8e-ab5280935668","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -341.50701%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Michael Vaughan's Critique: Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticized the strategy, highlighting Duckett's impressive fifty but expressing astonishment that he hadn't faced Ashwin until reaching the milestone.

[{"selector":"#anim-103145d5-d86f-4cf0-b951-47bc328d772d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7772ef7f-93f0-4c87-a344-7797f4255fcd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -275.09259%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Ashwin's Impact: Despite the delayed introduction, Ashwin made an immediate impact by dismissing Zak Crawley, marking his 500th Test wicket and becoming the second-fastest bowler to achieve this milestone in cricket history.

[{"selector":"#anim-249cd5b2-7bb9-4688-8b4c-07ccff825961","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-35bc1cdc-39ea-4a6c-b6dd-ee31fe2bc14f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -275.09259%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Tight Bowling: Once Ashwin was introduced, he tightened the screws on England's batting lineup, showcasing his skill and experience to keep the run rate in check despite England's strong start.

[{"selector":"#anim-ecf02c0d-4c87-44e2-ae09-21eccaeb2d08","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9dbaf3d6-7db8-4b24-ad21-4115c4e234ec","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -310.25226%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Shubman Gill's Struggles Continue in IND vs ENG 3rd Test READ MORE