MCG Test: Rohit Sharma falls to Cummins, attains unwanted feat
What's the story
Indian cricket team captain, Rohit Sharma, had a disappointing start while opening for India in the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He was once again dismissed by Australian skipper Pat Cummins on Day 2. The Indian skipper fell for 3 after the hosts racked up 474. Notably, Cummins has now dismissed Rohit as many as seven times in 13 Test innings. Rohit averages just 18.14 against him.
Dismissal details
Rohit's dismissal: A result of an awkward pull shot
Rohit fell while trying an awkward pull shot off Cummins against a short-of-length delivery outside the off stump. His attempt produced a mistimed top-edge that was easily gobbled by Scott Boland at mid-on. This ended his stint as an opener with Yashasvi Jaiswal, which was perceived as a ploy to revitalize his approach. Notably, KL Rahul opened for India in the first three Tests.
Performance analysis
Rohit against Cummins: A recurring struggle
Rohit's troubles against Cummins have become a common theme in Test cricket. As mentioned, the Australian skipper has dismissed his counterpart seven times in 13 innings. Rohit has faced 199 balls and scored just 127 runs at an average of 18.14. Notably, Cummins has dismissed Rohit thrice in the ongoing series. The latter's scores read 3, 10, 3, and 6.
Information
Rohit has been captain Cummins's bunny
Cummins has now dismissed the Indian captain (Rohit) five times while leading in Tests. As per Cricbuzz, no other captain has dismissed an opposition captain on more occasions in the format (5: Ted Dexter by Richie Benaud and Sunil Gavaskar by Imran Khan).