IND vs NZ, 3rd Test: Ex-New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull has criticized the Indian team for sending Mohammed Siraj as the night watchman towards the fag end of the day of the third Test in Mumbai. It should be noted here that Siraj came into bat during the second last over after Ajaz Patel dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal.
But he had a short stint at the crease as he could survive just one ball as he couldn't analyze a sharp delivery and Patel trapped him before the stumps. Michael Gough, who was the on-field umpire, quickly gave the decision of an out and signaled LBW. Not satisfied with the decision, he took the review but in the replay it was shown that there were three reds, which signified that Siraj was dismissed for a golden duck.
After his dismissal, Doull slammed the Indian team management for sending him instead of R Ashwin, who is used to playing in tricky spin conditions.
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“Well, I don't like the term night watchman being used for a tail end or a lower-order play. Why not Ravichandran Ashwin? If you're going to have a player out in the middle that has to be able to play, you can't just send a bowler out there for the sake of sending a bowler out there. If it was going to be anyone that had to be Ashwin because he could bat. He'll get through the night and then he'll come tomorrow and he'll score you runs because he's good enough to do that,” Doull was quoted as saying on Sports 18.
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He also laid emphasis on sending a player, who is used to facing spinners and who could have survived this challenging period and batted again on the second day.
“But in tricky conditions when the ball is turning. And to be fair, AJ hadn't bowled well. The New Zealand spinners hadn't bowled that well, uh, there's a couple that went past the bat, but it wasn't consistent enough. So to send a player out there who generally bats 10 or 11 and is not proficient against spin in turning conditions, I thought it was a big mistake first and foremost. If Virat Kohli, he's not gonna come out, I understand. There are a lot of batters around the world that do that would prefer to have a night watchman, and would prefer to be out there tomorrow. But send in a guy who can play please,” he concluded.
After Siraj's wicket, Virat Kohli came into bat and he too couldn't stay at the crease for long as he ran out during the last over. Kohli had hit the ball towards mid-on and was trying to take a quick single. But Matt Henry quickly took the ball and threw it directly towards the stumps and thus Kohli was dismissed after scoring just four runs. Due to this, the hosts lost three wickets in quick succession and ended the first day at 86/4 in 19 overs, where Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant were in the middle.