"He's someone who is enjoying the challenges" - Saba Karim praises Rohit Sharma for defying the odds in IND vs ENG Test series
Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has hailed Rohit Sharma for standing tall against the odds in the ongoing Test series against England. The Indian skipper has had an excellent series as a batter as well as a captain, dealing with an injury crisis as well as star players not being available for personal reasons.
Rohit has already ensured that the Men in Blue's dominant win streak at home remains intact following three consecutive wins in the five-match series. The opening batter has also marked his presence with this batting in the series, scoring two hundreds, the first of which came in Rajkot in a tricky situation following a top-order collapse.
Although India have been put under pressure by the visiting England side in each of the four Tests, Rohit has engineered a way for the team to claw their way back into the contest, with the players, especially the debutants responding well.
"You've seen that in Rajkot, the team was in a difficult situation and he came out with a 100. He's someone who is enjoying the challenges. That is something as an experienced player, you thrive on these kinds of situations. Yesterday, that balance was there, he was in his elements that pull off the short ball to Wood is an indication of he's doing well," Saba Karim told Jio Cinema.
The Indian skipper has made the most of his start in the first innings of the fifth Test in Dharamshala. The skipper reached his 12th Test hundred and is on the lookout to pile even more misery on England to wrap up the proceedings in style.
"I have been super impressed with the way he's led the side with the side that was under pressure" - Nick Knight on Rohit Sharma
A narrow loss in Hyderabad, and collapses in Rajkot and Ranchi, all of these factors could have resulted in a drawn series scoreline ahead of the finale in Dharamshala.
However, as mentioned earlier, India have fought and dug hard to tilt the result in their favor. Rohit Sharma highlighted the same fact during the pre-match press conference when he termed the home affair against England as a 'series of comebacks'.
Former England opening batter Nick Knight also praised the Indian captain's ability to lead the team to victory despite all the setbacks they have had to encounter.
"I'll start with Rohit. I won't necessarily start with his batting because it kind of looks after itself for the moment. But I would want to pick out the leader in Rohit. Five debutants in the series, several senior players, not available for various reasons. That puts pressure on the captaincy," Knight said.
"Put pressure on how you deal with your dressing room. It puts pressure on how you get the best out of those debutants, and all of that is a massive tick. I have been super impressed with the way he's led the side with the side that was under pressure," he added.
India are comfortably placed in the fifth Test, already securing a 53-run lead with nine wickets in hand on Day 2.