Rohit Sharma's controversial duck prompts fans to criticize India captain's decision-making and expose vulnerability ahead of BGT

Rohit Sharma's inconsistency in Test cricket was once again on display in the second Test match against New Zealand, as he suffered a disappointing dismissal for a duck by Tim Southee towards the end of day one. Despite India's strong bowling effort that had restricted the Kiwis to 259, it was crucial for the openers to hold their ground till the next day. Unfortunately, Rohit couldn't withstand the pressure and lost his wicket to the seasoned New Zealand bowler, leaving India in a precarious position.

This marked the 14th time that Rohit has been dismissed by Southee in international cricket, tying him alongside Kagiso Rabada for the bowler who has taken Rohit’s wicket most often with 14.

Rohit’s dismissal acted as a source of frustration for Indian fans, who would have hoped for the captain to lead from the front and ensure that his team could provide a positive result in Pune to help level the series. Shubman Gill was forced to join Yashasvi Jaiswal to try and see out a testing end to day’s play instead, with the game now hanging in the balance heading into day two.

Social media was quick to point out how Rohit has struggled in Test cricket since the turn of the year, with a couple of landmark innings against England but also a host of poor performances against South Africa, Bangladesh, and now New Zealand.

Viewers also noted that Rohit’s dismissal was the only one conceded to pace, with the 10 wickets in New Zealand’s innings all coming to spin.

The pressure will now be on India’s young set of batters as well as Virat Kohli to keep the team’s noses in front with a strong batting performance to establish a first innings lead.

Earlier in the day, the Kiwis had another strong start thanks to Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. However, following Ravichandran Ashwin’s three wickets to begin proceedings, Washington Sundar provided immediate impact upon his return to the Test arena.

Sundar took the final seven wickets of the innings to finish with impressive figures of 7-59, including the dismissals of Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell. The Kiwis were 197-3, but Sundar’s flurry of wickets with the older ball meant that they couldn’t make significant runs.

India ended the day on 16-1, with Jaiswal and Gill faced with the task of setting a solid foundation for the middle order to follow.