We didn't apply ourselves and it wasn't a pitch to get out for 117, admits Rohit

India captain Rohit Sharma admitted that his players did not apply themselves well during the first innings of the second ODI against Australia where they were bowled out for a paltry 117 in just 26 overs He added that the nature of the pitch wasnt the one where teams would get out for that scoreLeftarm fastbowler Mitchell Starc emerged as the main architect in Australia bundling out India for their fourthlowest total at home claiming his ninth fivewicket haul in ODI cricket Then openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh slammed rollicking fifties to chase down the total in 11 overs giving India their heaviest defeat in terms of balls left 234 ballsStarc who had picked a threefer in the first ODI in Mumbai produced yet another stunning exhibition of swing bowling to scythe through the top order and then took out Mohammed Siraj to finish with 553 Sean Abbott was excellent in his 323 while Nathan Ellis provided great support through 213 as all of Australias fast bowlers took ten Indian wicketsIn a highlydisappointing batting performance India lost four wickets in Powerplay for the first time since the 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand Four batters fell for ducks as only Virat Kohli and Axar Patel could go beyond 25It has been a good ground for us but unfortunately we didnt bat well today We didnt apply ourselves and it wasnt a pitch to get out for 117 Even when you lose a couple of early wickets it is important to create a partnership or two so that you can get back into the gameI dont think we batted well enough and that was a failure from our side from a batting perspective When you have only 117 on the board the batters have nothing to lose and then try to swing the bat and get off to a good startAlso readRohit Sharma We kept falling to Starcrsquos strengthOnce that happens they keep putting the pressure on At times we have done that like in England when we had to chase 110 and we did it in 12 or 13 overs if I am not wrong Todays failure was from our batsmen said Rohit in the postmatch press conferenceSundays match was also the second successive time Indias top order failed to get going after being dismissed cheaply in the first ODI in Mumbai Moreover Starcs fivefer showed that the Indian batting order continues to struggle in countering leftarm pacers into which Rohit refused to look furtherThis is just two games that the top order has not done too well It has been literally on fire in the last six games we played Lot of the toporder batters have got big runs in the previous games When we need to look into it we will definitely do it but right now its not the timeWhen you have a quality bowler in the opposition he is bound to take wickets He is obviously trying his best and it doesnt matter whether it is a leftarm or a rightarm bowler Rightarmers have troubled us too but nobody talks about itIf we lose wickets it is a concern whether it is to a righthander or a leftarmer is not the issue We look into all sorts of things like how we are getting out and come up with better plans methods etc Thats about it and honestly its just two games that the top order hasnt done wellMoreover in the absence of Shreyas Iyer due to a back injury Suryakumar Yadav hasnt found his mojo in ODI cricket batting Suryakumar the T20I batting sensation of 2022 has been dismissed twice in identical fashion against Australia being trapped lbw on inswingers from Starc on his very first ball at the creaseIt has been 16 innings since Suryakumar got a fifty in ODIs But Rohit called for calm and backed Suryakumar to shine in the format while adding that he will be given a consistent run to come good and find his footing in 50over cricketWe dont know about Iyers return At this point in time there is a spot available so we have to play him Suryakumar He has obviously shown a lot of potential with whiteball and I have said it many times before guys with potential will be given some runOf course he knows that he needs to do while in a slightly longer format of the game as well Things are there in his mind as well Like I said guys with potential will have enough run where you know they should not feel that Okay You know I wasnt given enough chances in that particular slotYes he got out in the last two games and in the series before that as well But he needs that consistent run like backtoback games 78 or 10 games like that so that he feels more comfortable Right now he has got in the place when someones been injured or someones not been availableThat doesnt solve the purpose because as management we cant look into the performance too much When you give that consistent run and then you feel that okay the runs are not coming and hes not looking comfortable Then we will start thinking about it Right now we have not gone that routeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday 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