"This Indian batting shouldn't have collapsed so quickly on such a pitch" - Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh feels the formidable Indian batting lineup shouldn't have collapsed like a house of cards in their first innings of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rohit Sharma and Co. were bowled out for 109 after opting to bat first in Indore on Wednesday, March 1. Australia were comfortably placed on 156/4 at Stumps on Day 1, with a lead of 47 runs and six first-innings wickets in hand.

While reviewing the first day's play on Star Sports, Harbhajan was disappointed with India's batting performance, elaborating:

"The way the wickets fell, I agree that the ball was spinning and there was bounce as well, but the shot selection could have been slightly better. This Indian batting shouldn't have collapsed so quickly on such a pitch."

Harbhajan feels the Indian batters will realize their mistakes if they reflect on their dismissals, saying:

"If the players watch this after going back to the pavilion or are sitting now and thinking about it, they will be realizing their mistakes themselves and that they could have batted better."

Only two Indian batters - Virat Kohli (22) and Shubman Gill (21) - could breach the 20-run mark. Matthew Kuhnemann (5/16) was the wrecker-in-chief for Australia, with Nathan Lyon (3/35) and Todd Murphy (1/23) being the other successful bowlers.

---

"Rohit Sharma was trying to put his impression on the bowler" - Harbhajan Singh on the Indian captain's dismissal

Rohit Sharma was stumped while trying to play a big shot. [P/C: BCCI]

Harbhajan Singh pointed out that Rohit Sharma (12) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1) opted to take the attack to the opposition bowlers prematurely, explaining:

"Rohit Sharma was trying to put his impression on the bowler but he should have given the first over. The ball was spinning and bouncing a lot. Pujara also made the same mistake. He couldn't judge how much the ball was spinning from the pitch."

The former Indian spinner added that Shreyas Iyer, who was dismissed for a duck, was also a little hasty in his approach, observing:

"Something similar happened to Shreyas Iyer. The ball didn't bounce and it was just the second ball. If he had already played 20 balls, he wouldn't have found it difficult. The Indian batters seemed to be in a little hurry and wanted to continue with the form they had in the last match."

Harbhajan concluded by stating that Australia showed better discipline with the bat on the day. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator believes the Indian batters will learn from their mistakes and give a better account of themselves in the second innings.