"Rohit Sharma was reactive, very average, and didn't have any answer to Ollie Pope.."- Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has blamed Indian skipper Rohit Sharma as the culprit of India’s 1st Test loss in Hyderabad from a situation where they could have easily won the game if it wasn’t for the 3rd and 4th innings exploits from top-order batter Ollie Pope and left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, both of whom who are on their first tour of India.

A few dropped catches by Indian fielders and then Pope scored an emphatic, sensational, and match-winning knock of 196 which well and truly had put England in the driver’s seat. An ultra-defensive and orthodox approach from Indian batters and then Hartley registered his career-best figures of 7/62. That was the entire story of Rohit Sharma’s side suffering their first-ever Test defeat in Hyderabad.

India were not always in this situation. It was their own mistakes especially from day 3 onwards that England started to crawl their way back into the game. If India had a giant share of winning most sessions in the 1st Test then the Three Lions knew the trick to maneuver and step over their opponents through the Bazball way.

Not many had given chances to England, especially after the way they collapsed in the first innings as they were all out for just 246 and that too because of some short-lived knocks. Then India went on to post a mammoth 436 runs and grabbed a lead of 190 before Ollie Pope spoiled India’s party to help England post 231 as the target.

When India came out to bat, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal had given a decent start but one by one, Tom Hartley gave Indians the taste of their own medicine along with off-spinners Joe Root and Jack Leach who stood for a wicket each.

It also took a brilliant effort from Ben Stokes to run out Ravindra Jadeja for just 2 runs. All in all, everything went wrong with India’s batting order and Michael Vaughan who is known for clowning the Indian team, has claimed that it was England’s finest Test victory ever before slamming Rohit Sharma for being extremely reactive and immature in terms of field and bowling changes.

“Beating this India team away is simply the finest England Test match victory of my lifetime. There have been some sensational England away wins over the years. But what England have just done in Hyderabad tops them all: it’s number one for me.” – Vaughan wrote on his Telegraph column.

“I Don’t Think He Maneuvered His Field Or Was Proactive”, Michael Vaughan Lashes Out On Rohit Sharma

After claiming that England’s 1st Test win in Hyderabad by 28 runs was the best at home or away, Michael Vaughan lashed out at Rohit Sharma for his poor fielding tactics and lack of game awareness. Vaughan blamed Rohit Sharma for not being proactive enough to efficiently rotate India’s bowling attack.

“In India’s first-Test defeat in Hyderabad, I thought Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was very, very average. I thought he was so reactive, I don’t think he maneuvered his field or was proactive with his bowling changes. And he didn’t have any answer to Ollie Pope’s sweeps or reverse sweeps.” – Vaughan concluded.