Why the England tour will be a litmus ‘Test’ for Rohit Sharma
There is no doubt that Rohit Sharma is one of the greats in the shorter formats of the game. A glance at his numbers and one can easily see how exceptional he has been in ODIs and T20Is. The same, though, cannot be said of his Test career. More than seven years into his debut in the longer format, Rohit Sharma’s legacy as a Test cricketer remains undefined.
He began his Test career in the middle order, lost his place owing to his inconsistent form and, for an extended period, did not find a place in the playing XI, even after making a comeback.
Considering his spectacular run in limited-overs cricket, the think-tank pushed him up the order to open in Test matches in 2019. Nine Tests and four centuries later, the move seems to have clicked, but it’s still too early to say. The picture will definitely get clearer after the England tour.
Why Rohit Sharma has a point to prove in England
Rohit Sharma’s Test numbers are rather impressive - 2615 runs in 38 matches at an average of 46.69 with seven hundreds and 12 fifties. However, one needs to dig deeper to uncover the problem. There is a massive gulf between his home and away records.
The Mumbai batsman has played 18 of his 38 Tests at home and has 1670 runs at a sumptuous average of 79.52. All his seven hundreds have come in home conditions. By contrast, Rohit Sharma has played 20 away Tests, where he has only managed 945 runs at 27, with his best being his 2015 effort of 79 in Sri Lanka.
While Rohit Sharma has excelled irrespective of the conditions in the limited-overs formats, his technique and temperament in Tests have been called into question, especially when he has played away from home. He played two of the four Tests in India’s most recent tour to Australia after completing his quarantine and, despite looking in decent touch, failed to register big knocks.
Rohit Sharma’s scores Down Under read 26, 52, 44 and 7. On more than a couple of occasions he fell needlessly, trying to take on the bowler. In fact, if we look at Rohit Sharma’s numbers since January 2018, he has played six away Tests and has only managed 313 runs, averaging 28.45.
Lack of Test experience in England conditions
We must also take into consideration the fact that Rohit Sharma has played only one Test in England. Incidentally, he featured in the 2014 Test in Southampton, which is also the venue for the upcoming WTC final against New Zealand.
In that Test as well, Rohit Sharma gifted his wicket away to Moeen Ali in the first innings, chipping down the track and giving a simple catch to mid-off. Again, he had got off to a start, and was looking good when he played the shot.
In the second innings, too, he played a feeble defensive shot to be dismissed cheaply as India went down tamely. Six years down the line, the trend continued in Australia as Rohit Sharma kept failing to convert starts.
Rohit Sharma’s aggression: Boon in limited-overs, a bane in Tests?
If one has to summarize Rohit Sharma’s Test career so far, it can be said that his aggressive streak has hampered his rise as a Test cricketer. The attacking tactics have, of course, been successful at home, as seen in the Test series earlier this year against England. And it goes without saying that his combative batting has been the bedrock of his success in limited-overs.
While it would be irrational to expect Rohit Sharma to completely rein in his aggression in overseas Tests, he will clearly need to make some mental and technical adjustments to succeed in the longer format away from home, especially now that he is opening the innings.
He cannot go on an all-out attack and will need to be thoughtful about the strokes he plays and bowlers he targets.
Massive challenge on the cards for Rohit Sharma, say experts
According to former India opener Sanjay Manjerkar, while Rohit Sharma has shown tremendous improvement as a Test player, the England tour will be the biggest challenge. In a column for Hindustan Times, he wrote:
“Rohit Sharma as opener has improved tremendously with regards to defence. He plays the ball closer to the body now and is far more patient than he used to be. He also tends to leave more balls outside off and the feet move better, but England will still be his stiffest Test. He will have to change his instinct and character as a batsman to succeed, unless the sun is out all the time. This will be the biggest test for Rohit Sharma the Test opener.”
Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim also agreed that the seamer-friendly English conditions will pose a challenge to Rohit Sharma. In a discussion on India News, Karim opined:
"I agree England will be very challenging for Rohit Sharma because the ball keeps moving throughout the day there. The Test match is going to be with the Dukes ball. A lot will depend on the conditions. The ball starts moving more when the clouds are there and the wicket plays true when there is sun."
Rohit Sharma’s performance in England may not define his career. But it will certainly provide solid inputs on his reliability as an opener in overseas conditions in the longer format of the game.