"Liked the way Rohit Sharma has imposed his ideas on the team"- Former Indian selector Saba Karim after IND vs AUS 1st Test

Former Indian wicketkeeper and selector Saba Karim credited Indian captain Rohit Sharma for taking some bold decisions in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Although Rohit's ploy to hand Suryakumar Yadav a Test debut didn't work out ideally, Karim praised him for thinking out of the box. The Indian captain also backed Axar Patel as the third spinner over Kuldeep Yadav, and the move worked as Axar's 84 with the bat was crucial in batting Australia out of the game.

There has been a lot of talk about how Rohit Sharma gets frequently injured and India will need him if they qualify for the World Test Championship Final. Speaking to India News, here's what Saba Karim had to say about this:

"Liked the way Rohit has imposed his ideas on the team and team selection and the way he brought Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel in the team. I just hope he stays fit because if he plays and with the pacers we have, we can challenge the opposition and even win the World Test Championship final."

​

---

India should easily qualify for the WTC final: Saba Karim

Saba Karim accepted that it wouldn't be wise to underestimate Australia after their disappointing performance in Nagpur as they could make a strong comeback. However, he also claimed that the hosts are in pole position to win at least two more Tests and qualify for the World Test Championship final.

On this, he stated:

"I believe India will be wary of Australia's ability to make a comeback and will not take them for granted. But I still feel that even if we win 3-0 , we should easily qualify for the WTC final."

Australia will need to find some inspiration from within to try and launch a fightback in the second Test to be played in Delhi from Friday.

​