Rohit Sharma begins training for Sydney 2 days before rest of the Indian Test squad
Indian batsman Rohit Sharma has returned to training in the open after finishing his quarantine period in Australia. The batsman began with some fielding drills as he took a couple of stunning grabs to begin his preparations for the Sydney Test.
The pictures were uploaded by the BCCI on their Twitter profile as they gave fans a sneak peek into what lies ahead for Rohit Sharma in the upcoming days.
In the pictures posted by the BCCI, Rohit Sharma is seen diving around as he takes part in fielding drills. The batsman is seen plucking a one-handed catch as well, while he dives to his right in another picture posited by the BCCI.
BCCI declared that Rohit Sharma is just getting started, as they have a quick glimpse of what lies ahead for the 33-year-old. Boria Majumdar also revealed that Rohit Sharma has begun training 2 days before the rest of the Indian squad starts preparing for the Sydney Test.
Where will Rohit Sharma bat in the Sydney Test?
There are still questions about Rohit Sharma’s batting position if he gets picked for the Sydney Test. He's widely expected to open the batting, but Shubman Gill’s solid outing at Melbourne has thrown a spanner into the works.
Gill showed great maturity on his Test debut, aggregating 80 runs. India would like to reward Shubman Gill for his performance, which means Rohit Sharma could replace Mayank Agarwal as the other opener. However, there are question marks about Rohit Sharma’s opening in Australia, particularly with the batsman coming into the game without match practice.
Former chief selector MSK Prasad, while speaking to PTI, echoed similar sentiments. He suggested Mayank Agarwal or Hanuma Vihari would have to make way for Rohit Sharma at Sydney.
I am still not sure about Rohit opening because he is coming after a long break. Will he prefer to open or bat in the middle order? That is another question. And what kind of role the team management is expecting from Rohit. That is also a factor. Whether they want Rohit to give the team a flying start or anchor the innings in the middle?"
Another option could be to replace Hanuma Vihari with Rohit Sharma. Rohit has batted in the middle order in the past, and the position could give him adequate time to get used to Australian conditions without facing the new ball.
Irrespective of where he bats, Rohit will be expected to hit the ground running. In the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit is one of the side’s senior batsmen, and all eyes will be on the cricketer to see how he performs in Australia.