The Gabba in Brisbane is known to be a ground that favors teams batting first. So, when Indian captain Rohit Sharma decided to bowl first in the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match, it was an unexpected decision. Though overcast conditions and the rain delay on Day 1 may have influenced his choice, it still raised some eyebrows, especially among those who knew the history of the ground.

Matthew Hayden Criticizes Rohit Sharma’s Decision

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden wasn’t mincing his words on Channel 7 in Australia when opining about Rohit Sharma’s choice of bowling before winning the toss. The tall left-hander, who grew up in Queensland and made the Gabba his home ground in domestic cricket, was clear in his belief that batting first would have been the better option.

“I’m buying Australia [to win the series]. I’m buying them in this Test match,” said Hayden. “I’m buying at the toss, the fact that the captain of India, I felt, made a bad choice at the toss. This is a very good batting wicket, batting here is always so damn good in the first three days.”

Hayden’s Critique On The Gabba’s Conditions

Having scored over 900 Test runs at the Gabba, including four centuries and an impressive average of over 60, Hayden is one of the most successful players at this venue. Despite the overcast conditions, he felt India’s choice was the wrong one, even though they had success batting second in the 2021 series. Hayden’s deep understanding of the ground made his opinion particularly significant, as he anticipated that Australia would capitalize on the situation and build momentum for the rest of the series.

Hayden Predicts Australian Victory & Series Momentum Shift

“This Test match will set up the rest of the series, where they will probably come back into their own a little bit, in particular in Sydney,” said the big southpaw. “But this Test match, and Melbourne, there’s not an Aussie on the planet who doesn’t love the Boxing Day Test match. So it’s all Australia that my money is going towards.”

Looking ahead, Hayden predicted that the third Test at the Gabba would likely swing in Australia’s favor and shift the momentum of the series in their direction. Though he is optimistic about India’s chances in the upcoming New Year’s Test at the SCG, Hayden expects Australia to perform strongly at the MCG, which may make the final match of the series a dead rubber.