"Rohit needs to draw a little bit of energy from what he did at Lord's" - Ex-Indian cricketer ahead of day 4 of BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Former Indian keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has called for Rohit Sharma to showcase in Brisbane what he did at Lord's. Karthik stated that in the ongoing third Test of BGT 2024-25, the Indian captain must play balls on merit and leave them accordingly as he did at Lord's.
Rohit Sharma opened with KL Rahul during the tour of England in 2021 and they scored a combined 683 runs in the five-match series, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
During the Lord's Test that summer, Rohit struck a solid 83 under gloomy conditions against the likes of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran and Mark Wood in the first innings. KL Rahul scored 129 runs and the pair's 126-run stand in the first innings played a crucial role in India's eventual 151-run win.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik stated that Rohit Sharma must try to spend maximum time at the crease as it will improve India's chances of saving the Test. He said:
"Rohit needs to draw a little bit of energy from what he did at Lord's. On a very cloudy, overcast day, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma showed how it is to leave a ball and play for long periods of time. I think he needs to draw a little bit from that place, that mindset where he said anything outside the I'm leaving. I'll bide my time. The more time he spends in there crease, it's good for India and that will get the team closer to a draw."
The veteran's form in Test cricket has been poor in recent times, scoring only one half-century in 10 innings. He also notched two single-figure scores in the previous Test in Adelaide.
"They need to believe and cross 245" - Dinesh Karthik advises Rohit Sharma and Co.
With India reduced to 51/4 and trailing by 394 runs ahead of day four in Brisbane, Karthik believes India's first target should be to avoid the follow-on. The veteran warned that a torrid couple of weeks could follow if India lose in Brisbane.
"One big partnership. They need to believe and cross 245. That is the first thing that they need to do. If that doesn't happen, I don't think we will survive the Test unless the rain comes down real hard. If they avoid the follow-on, they'll find a way to salvage something out of this Test and that makes them believe that something special is around the corner. If not it could be a hard couple of weeks."
Mitchell Starc dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins removed Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, respectively. KL Rahul (33*) and Rohit Sharma (0*) are at the crease for the visitors.