"Batting before Virat Kohli has made a big difference to him" - Ian Chappell on Rohit Sharma's improvement as Test batter

Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell believes that batting ahead of Virat Kohli has had a major role to play in Indian captain Rohit Sharma's improvement as a Test batter.

Chappell opined that the responsibility of captaining the Test team has also benefited Rohit in terms of his batting. He also mentioned that the senior batter has now established himself as a proven campaigner in the longer format.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo after stumps on Day 2 of the first Test between India and Australia, Chappell said:

"Batting before Virat Kohli has made a big difference to him (Rohit Sharma). I think batting after Kohli made a bit of a problem for him. But I think also taking on the captaincy and realizing that you've got to be responsible for everything that happens, I think that's made a big difference, and he's turned into a truly good Test batter."

Chappell lauded Sharma for his batting exploits during India's first innings as the batter struck a crucial century. He noted that the right-handed batter showcased great composure on the second day, leading the way for the rest of the Indian batters.

"A very, very good knock from Rohit Sharma," he added. "He basically showed the way to the rest of the Indian players, indicating that this is the way he would like them to play. He was much more restrained today. It was a real Test match knock from him."

💯 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
💯 vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
💯 vs 🇦🇺

Three important centuries in testing conditions 🔥

Rohit Sharma, take a bow!👏

#INDvAUS #RohitSharma𓃵 #CricketTwitter https://t.co/nrSSmswrYq

Notably, Sharma impressed many with his gutsy knock in the first innings. He completed his ninth ton in Test cricket as he amassed 120 runs before finally falling to his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins.

"I would have liked to have seen the Australians attack more" - Ian Chappell critical of Pat Cummins and Co.'s approach

During the discussion, Ian Chappell pointed out that Australia's defensive bowling approach took the game away from them on Day 2 in Nagpur.

He suggested that the visitors should have been more attacking with the ball. He mentioned that while the move may not have paid against the well-set Rohit Sharma, the side should have considered doing it against the remaining batters.

The 79-year-old highlighted that undertaking a defensive approach tired the Australian bowlers, and the home team capitalized on the same towards the back end of the day.

"I would have liked to have seen the Australians attack more," Chappell elaborated. "They bowled defensively quite well, although you could see the main bowlers getting tired in that last session.

"That's the problem with bowling defensively. You can use up a lot of overs without getting wickets, and then you get a bit tired and the batting side takes advantage. Had they attacked Rohit Sharma a bit more, he would have scored more easily. But they could have certainly attacked the other players a bit more."

It's Stumps on Day 2 of the first #INDvAUS Test!

#TeamIndia move to 321/7 & lead Australia by 144 runs. 👏 👏

1⃣2⃣0⃣ for captain @ImRo45
6⃣6⃣* for @imjadeja
5⃣2⃣* for @akshar2026

We will be back for Day 3 action tomorrow.

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvAUS-2023-1… https://t.co/1lNIJiWuwX

India finished 321/7 at stumps on Day 2. The Rohit Sharma-led side are in a commanding position in the match, thanks to Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel's unbeaten 81-run partnership.