Rohit Sharma will be successful in England as well: Deep Dasgupta
Former Indian wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta believes Rohit Sharma will be successful in scoring runs in England when India tours there later this year. Dasgupta on Monday said Rohit Sharma is currently in a great 'mind space' and has the aptitude and experience to counter alien conditions.
India hammered England 3-1 in the recently concluded Test series. Rohit Sharma was the lynchpin of the Indian batting. He provided crucial starts in almost every match and returned overall figures of 345 runs at 57.50 - the best among the Indian batsmen.
However, many experts believe the real litmus test for India's much-vaunted batting line-up will be in the swing-favoring conditions in the UK against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
In a conversation with Sports Today, Deep Dasgupta exuded confidence in Rohit Sharma's ability to come on top.
"Why not? I do understand his numbers and records are not that great outside India but he has it in him. Because conditions in England are more alien to Indian batsmen so obviously there will be challenges there. But Rohit with all the experience and talent he has, he should. I'll back him to be successful that's for sure. I know we go by numbers at times but I personally get a feeling that he's in a very good mind space right now, he has all the experience in the world and also the talent. It just that, it needs to click," said Deep Dasgupta.
Rohit Sharma's average in away conditions is a far cry from his record in India. The 33-year-old scores at an average of 79.52 in India, which drops to a paltry 27.00 overseas. He has played just one Test in England, in 2014, scoring 34 runs in two innings.
Rohit Sharma's runs in England series are worth in gold: Deep Dasgupta
Rohit Sharma didn't help his away average much when India toured Australia last year. He could only muster 129 runs from 4 chances at an average of 32.25. A common feature of most of these innings was his ability to see off the new ball but throwing his wicket soon after getting set.
Deep Dasgupta remarked that even in those short innings, Rohit Sharma didn't look in trouble. Dasgupta also stated that the conditions in the series against England weren't easy as well and Rohit Sharma's runs here were 'worth in gold'.
"...In Australia, he was looking good. I know he got those 30s and 40s [without converting] but you could see those 30s and 40s were classy. He was not in trouble. It was just one bad shot and one lapse of concentration and he lost his wicket. Hopefully, he will not make those mistakes again. Look, these conditions weren't easy [as well] and the runs he scored here are worth in gold," said Deep Dasgupta.
Rohit Sharma will be back in action in the upcoming T20I series against England, which kicks off on March 12.