"He has the quality and pedigree" - Aakash Chopra feels Rohit Sharma can succeed as an opener in England
Aakash Chopra believes Rohit Sharma's quality and pedigree will help him succeed in England as a Test opener.
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul are the four specialist openers in the Indian squad for the tour of England. While Rahul has played five Tests as an opener during India's last visit to England, the other three have never batted at the top of the order in the longest format in English conditions.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed full confidence in Rohit Sharma when asked by a fan how successful the Indian openers will be in England. He said:
"I feel Rohit Sharma will do fine over a period of time when he plays the six matches, five of them will be in the second half of the English summer. He has the quality and pedigree, and the team will show faith in him."
The cricketer-turned-commentator expects Rohit Sharma to play a few substantial knocks, considering the success he enjoyed as an opener in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Chopra added:
"The sort of caliber he has, he scored five centuries in the World Cup in England. If someone can hit five centuries in an ODI tournament, if he plays six Test matches, you will expect at least 2 or 3 hundreds from him."
Rohit Sharma was the highest run-getter in the 2019 ODI World Cup. He amassed 648 runs at an outstanding average of 81 in the tournament, which included five centuries, the most ever in a single World Cup.
Aakash Chopra wants the Indian team to be patient with their openers
Aakash Chopra wants Team India to give their openers a longer rope for them to succeed in English conditions. He said:
"I feel how successful Indian openers will be in England will depend on how patient you are with them. If you lose patience and drop them after not performing in two matches, then no one is able to do well."
While stating that Rohit Sharma is likely to be persisted with, Aakash Chopra believes Shubman Gill will also deliver the goods if given a consistent run. The former India batsman added:
"This has happened in the past but I don't think anyone will touch Rohit. If you play Shubman Gill the WTC final and the first two or three Tests of the England series, he will also do well but there I hope the Indian team does not become too trigger-happy."
The Indian openers are likely to have a testing time as both New Zealand and England have a potent seam-bowling line-up. Team India will hope to see off the new ball and give the side an early impetus.