"Has to be the softest dismissal considering the situation" - Fans blast Rohit Sharma for falling cheaply on Day 1 of 2nd IND vs ENG Test

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma continued his torrid Test form by falling for a painstaking 14 off 41 deliveries on the opening day of the second Test against England in Vizag.

Rohit tamely glanced an off-spinning delivery from debutant Shoaib Bashir to Ollie Pope at leg-slip to conclude his boundary-less innings.

Since his sensational performances in the Test series in the West Indies and the ODI World Cup, the 36-year-old has struggled to make telling contributions. Rohit scored only 60 runs in the two-Test series in South Africa at an average of 20 despite India achieving a 1-1 draw.

The champion batter looked in fine touch in both innings of the first Test against England in Hyderabad but fell for scores of 24 and 39. It did not help matters as his captaincy also came under the scanner in England's second innings, leading to India suffering a shock 28-run defeat to fall into a 0-1 deficit.

Rohit was India's batting star in their last Test at Vizag against South Africa in 2019, scoring a century in both innings. Yet, his downward slide over the past few Test innings had fans on Twitter unimpressed and wondering if the skipper was past his prime in the red-ball format.

Here are some of the reactions:

Team India make three changes to their playing XI for the second Test

India v England - 2nd Test Match: Day One

Team India made three changes to their playing XI for the second Test from the side that suffered a surprising defeat against England in Hyderabad.

While KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja had been ruled out before the game with injuries, India also rested pacer Mohammed Siraj. Rajat Patidar made his Test debut, while Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar were the other two included in the playing XI.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed the same and spoke about the importance of the Vizag Test at the toss.

"We need to play good cricket. What happened in Hyderabad is history, we need to move on. We have spoken on things we need to do, now we need to execute on our plans. I thought we batted well in the first innings, but didn't have the same intent. Similarly, in the second innings with the bowl there was a brilliant knock by Ollie Pope," said Rohit.

He added:

"Injuries are part and parcel of the game, but that's why we have the guys sitting on the bench. Two unforced changes (meant forced) - Jadeja and KL miss out, and Siraj has been rested. We've got Mukesh, Kuldeep and Rajat Patidar making his debut."

Despite losing the skipper, Team India are off to a solid start after winning the toss and electing to bat first. They are coasting at 103/2 in 31 overs at lunch on Day 1, with opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal on 51* and the under-pressure Shreyas Iyer on 4*.