"Don't write him off yet" - Brad Hogg backs Rohit Sharma to do well in 2nd Test
Brad Hogg believes Indian opener Rohit Sharma will come good in the second Test against England in Chennai. The former Australian spinner thinks Sharma is too good to continue failing and could make a huge impact in the next game.
Rohit Sharma has only been able to score a solitary fifty in his last seven innings in the longest format. There has been debate about whether Mayank Agarwal should replace the 33-year-old.
However, in a video on his YouTube channel, Brad Hogg reminded everyone what a sensational 2019 home season Rohit Sharma had as a Test opener.
In the Test series against South Africa, he scored three centuries, including a double hundred. Thus, the 49-year-old feels one cannot keep Rohit down for longer.
"No I don't see him (Rohit Sharma) being dropped. Remember against South Africa off late he just scored three hundreds and one of those a double hundred. He is a phenomenal batsman. Don't write him off yet, I am expecting a big score in the second Test match from him," Brad Hogg said.
"Rohit Sharma has got to learn to leave the ball outside off-stump" - Brad Hogg
Brad Hogg believes the only chink in Rohit Sharma's armor is that he is found a bit wanting while playing the ball just outside off-stump.
He tends to play the ball away from his body, which led to his dismissal in the first innings where he edged one behind off the bowling of Jofra Archer.
Hogg feels Archer's pace, coupled with James Anderson's swing, could trouble the the opener early in his innings. He said that Sharma will need to show patience and not go after deliveries outside the off-stump until the ball gets old.
"The only issue I have with Rohit Sharma is that they (England) have a very good pace attack against his technique. He does play away from his body. Anderson swings the ball away, but Jofra Archer also gets the movement but with extra bounce and pace. Sharma has got to learn to leave the ball outside off-stump," Brad Hogg asserted.
Brad Hogg also defended the right-handed batsman for his dismissal in the second innings, where he was cleaned up by an absolute peach from Jack Leach.
However, the 49-year-old was of the opinion that Rohit Sharma needs to tweak his footwork against spinners.
"In the second innings, he just got an absolute beauty from Jack Leach, very unplayable delivery. But against the left-arm off-spinner he has got to have better footwork as well. He is just a bit lazy sometimes," he further added.
Being one of the senior players in the team, Rohit Sharma will need to step up and prove that he has what it takes to be a successful Test opener.
Rohit Sharma does have a knack for scoring daddy hundreds. Hence, he will need to back himself to play out that first hour without taking too many risks.
If the 33-year-old negotiates an early burst from the England pacers, he could well make merry and torment the opposition bowlers for the rest of his innings.
Team India need to find some inspiration and stage a strong comeback in the series to keep their hopes alive of reaching the World Test Championship Final.