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Rohit Sharma Reveals Virat Kohli Opted To Bat At No.3 Himself; India Wanted 'This' Batter To Come Instead 

Virat Kohli departed for a duck in the first innings  [Source: PTI]Virat Kohli departed for a duck in the first innings  [Source: PTI]

India is currently engaged in an intense battle with New Zealand in the ongoing first Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After rain washed out Day 1, India hoped to get off on the right foot. However, the following day really went against them, as a misjudged decision to bat first on the green-top wicket cost India heavily.

Addressing the post-match press conference on Friday, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was ready to take all the shots from the media. He even started the interaction by saying 'Chalao Talvaar', meaning 'throw your swords at me.' 

A decision that surprised every spectator on Day 2 was when Virat Kohli came out to bat at No.3 after eight years. Since Shubman Gill missed out due to a stiff neck, Kohli walked onto the field after Rohit departed for just two runs. However, this call did not turn out to be beneficial, as Kohli departed for a horrific nine-ball duck.

Talking about this moment from the game, Rohit revealed that Kohli himself opted to come out and bat at the position. He also revealed how the management was keen to give that position to Sarfaraz Khan. 

"The experienced players are the ones who have to take that extra responsibility. It is a good sign. This time, it was Virat. He was the one who was ready to do that. We asked him whether he can bat at number three. 

We wanted to give Sarfraz the position that he usually bats four, five, six maybe. But we didn't want to change Rishabh and KL (Rahul). Hence, Sarfraz went at four and Virat batted at three," he said.

Moreover, he also addressed how the New Zealand bowlers cunningly trapped India as they bundled out for just 46 runs in the first innings, thereby registering their lowest total in Tests at home. 

"They play in these types of conditions back home. They know exactly what to do when the conditions are like that. Their bowlers actually challenged our batters a lot. They made us play every second or third ball. That is what you want to do as a bowling unit. We didn't respond to that challenge," he added. 

How Can India Win the 1st Test vs NZ; Rohit Shares

When inquired about how India plans to tackle the growing lead of New Zealand, Rohit explained that India needs to bat really 'big' in the second innings in order to turn their fate around.

"I think for us to stay in the game, we have got to not let them get away with way too many runs. They are at 180, that is about 140 runs. The wicket seems to be settling down a little bit and we expect the pitch to play like that. We have got a bat really big in the second inning and try and see if we can make a game out of that," he signed off.

Meanwhile, India are currently in a desperate need to pick wickets as New Zealand lead by 234 runs.