Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar hailed Rohit Sharma’s fielding effort during the fourth ODI against New Zealand at Bay Oval on Friday (November 13).
Gavaskar’s praising remarks came while analyzing a sharp, diving catch Rohit took from a stationary close-in position to dismiss Finn Allen. He highlighted the technical difficulty of the catch, noting that standing so close meant Rohit had no time to take a start or build momentum before diving.
Earlier in the second over of New Zealand's innings, Rohit dropped Will Young at first slip off the bowling of Auqib Nabi. Gavaskar mentioned that top fielders do not let a dropped chance ruin their concentration, pointing out how Rohit stayed locked in to pull off the subsequent grab.
"He (Rohit) stopped runs on the boundary line in the previous matches as well and effected a run-out with an underarm flick in the first match. He has always been a top fielder, whether it's at cover or close-in. He dropped a catch today. It happens to the best, but his concentration wasn't disturbed by the dropped catch," Gavaskar said during a discussion on Sony Sports.
"Concentration is required for this as well because you were standing very close, which means you don't get a chance to take a start, and you don't get momentum. Despite not getting momentum, the way he dived needs to be praised," he added.
In the same discussion, former India head coach Ravi Shastri commended Rohit’s catch to remove Allen off Axar Patel's bowling.
"Same fielder. It's after a few overs, and probably the hardest catch of the day. He made it look easy - got two hands to it," Shastri stated.
Coming to the penultimate ODI, the Men in Blue suffered a humiliating 244-run defeat at the hands of Black Caps.
Invited to bat first, the Kiwis posted 333 all out in 50 overs. Will Young anchored the innings with a dominant 125 off 108 balls, capitalizing on two dropped catches early in his knock. He was supported by aggressive half-century stands alongside Tim Seifert (58) and Finn Allen (41).
Kiwi pacer Matt Henry dismantled India's chase in the very first over with a triple-wicket maiden, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer all for ducks. It marked the first time in ODI history that India lost their top three batters without a run on the board.
Henry returned with career-best ODI figures of 6 for 27 in 9.4 overs as India’s innings folded for a mere 89 in 26.4 overs.
Despite a heavy defeat, India lead the five-match ODI series 2-1. The series-decider will be played at Bay Oval on Sunday (November 15).
