"Time for the plant to grow" - Aakash Chopra opines Rohit Sharma will have a big role to play with the bat
Aakash Chopra believes Rohit Sharma will reap dividends from the hard work he has already put in and play a substantial knock in India's second innings of the Headingley Test.
Rohit Sharma faced 105 deliveries for his 19 runs in the visitors' first innings of the third Test against England. He, along with KL Rahul, are the only two Indian batsmen to have held their own in the series so far.
While previewing the third day's play in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rohit Sharma is likely to gain from the time he spent in the middle in the first innings.
He elaborated:
"When someone puts in that much effort, standing firmly for 100-odd balls. 75 balls and 15 runs in the first session on Day 1 of the third Test match. Sometime or the other you will be benefited from that. He has sown the seeds, it is now time for the plant to grow."
The former India opener added that the conditions at Headingley will also work in Rohit Sharna's favor. Chopra explained:
"The pitch that is going to be there in the second innings is quite alright. It is still a very flat surface. The sideways movement has already completely finished and there is not much swing in the air as well. In fact, when the play started on the second day the conditions were overcast and despite that, the ball did not move."
The Leeds pitch certainly looks placid and is not offering much assistance to the bowlers. But the Indian batsmen will be under immense pressure in the second innings and James Anderson will pose a huge challenge with the new ball.
"Rohit Sharma will bat with a lot more freedom" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra signed off by expecting a more aggressive and significant knock from Rohit Sharma. He explained:
"In the third day's play, he will bat with a lot more freedom, that's what I am expecting from Rohit Sharma. Play cautiously for some time but after that free-flowing shots, through the covers, back-foot punch. He needs to be slightly wary of the pull but other than that I feel Rohit Sharma should play a big innings. His big innings is round the corner."
Rohit Sharma is yet to score a Test century away from home. He will hope to achieve the landmark in India's second innings of the Headingley Test.