India vs Bangladesh 2019: Rohit Sharma opens up on comparisons with Virender Sehwag, his rise as an opener and the day-night Test
What's the story?
The vice-captain of the Indian limited overs team, Rohit Sharma gave an interview at a promotional event ahead of the T20I series against Bangladesh. During this chat, he talked about his comparisons with Virender Sehwag, his rise as an opener in Test cricket and the upcoming day-night Test match against Bangladesh.
The background
Rohit Sharma sealed his position in the Indian Test team after playing some memorable knocks against South Africa. The right-handed batsman was opening the innings for the first time in Test cricket but, he showed no nerves at all as he ended the 3-Test series with 529 runs. He had an impressive average of 132.25 while his strike rate was also near 80. Since he played aggressive cricket against the Proteas, the fans had been comparing him with India's former opener Virender Sehwag.
Besides, India will play their first ever day-night Test match against Bangladesh later this month. Eden Gardens will host this historic Test as the fans await India's pink ball debut.
The heart of the matter
Rohit Sharma talked to the media reporters on Wednesday (30th October) where he said,
"It is people’s perception that we bat in a similar fashion and all that. But Sehwag is Sehwag. What he has done is remarkable. For me what will be important is what the team is expecting me to do, if I am able to do that I’ll be more than happy. Of course, Sehwag played in a way he loved to, and the team wanted him to play. It is the same situation for me here as well."
He further added that he aims to play in the manner the teams wants to him play and in that way, he tries to solve the problems of the unit.
On being asked about his upsurge in the Indian Test team, Rohit replied,
“See, the talk (about Rohit being promoted as an opener) was happening for a long, long time. But all these guys were doing well and you suddenly don’t want to change that and get somebody who has not done that before. Now that they tried a lot of players and wanted someone else to do it, that is why this happened. I know that if one of the openers, or a few of them, were doing well, I would not have got this opportunity. "
Sharma even revealed that he knew inside his mind that he would get an opportunity to open the innings one day and now that he has performed well, he is looking forward to the upcoming challenges.
Rohit even spoke about the history-making pink ball Test match against Bangladesh and told the reporters,
“I’ve played in a (pink ball) Duleep Trophy game (in 2016), but batted down the order. It was a new experience. We’ve waited for long and now have the opportunity.”
What's next?
Bangladesh's tour of India will begin tomorrow as the two teams will lock horns in the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Rohit has a good record against Bangladesh hence, he will look to lead the home team from the front.
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