"Weakness against left-handers is a thing of the past" - Sanjay Manjrekar praises Rohit Sharma's evolution against left-arm seamers
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes Rohit Sharma's troubles against left-arm pacers are a thing of the past. His comments came ahead of the much-awaited two-Test series against South Africa.
Despite being the dominant force in red-ball cricket over the past eight years, India has still not found a way to win the elusive Test series in South Africa. With Rohit set to captain the Test side for the first time in the rainbow nation, his match-up against the South African left-arm pacers Marco Jansen and Nandre Burger has started doing the rounds.
Speaking to Star Sports, Manjrekar quashed the claims of Rohit's struggles against left-arm seamers. He also pointed to recent examples against Mitchell Starc and Shaheen Afridi.
"The weakness you are talking about, the weakness against left-handers, is a thing of the past," Manjrekar said. "Not anymore. In the last two or three years, he hasn't had any problems. Mitchell Starc in the home series. He was comfortable against Australia with the new ball.
"Shaheen Afridi was supposed to be the danger man against Rohit Sharma. That was a Rohit who used to plant his front foot across the line. Not anymore. I think he has become a good Test player."
While Rohit Sharma never faced substantial issues against the left-arm seam in the longer format, he had the habit of being LBW or bowled in the white-ball game.
Yet, Rohit has improved his average from 24.5 last year to 47 this year with a marked increase in strike rate from 94.2 to 121.8 against that bowling style in ODIs.
Despite facing numerous left-arm seamers like Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Marco Jansen, and David Willey during the recent World Cup, the 36-year-old came out with flying colors. He finished as the tournament's second-leading run-scorer behind Virat Kohli with 597 runs at an average of over 54.
"When he gets runs at the Test level these days, it's just occupation of the crease" - Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar also praised Rohit Sharma for his remarkable improvement and the ability to occupy the crease for long periods in Test cricket. Following an inconsistent start to career, the veteran batter has made drastic strides, especially away from home, since 2019.
In that period, Rohit has averaged an incredible 53.64 in 25 Tests with seven centuries.
Manjrekar also pointed to his sensational Test series in England in 2021-22 as an example of Rohit's transformation as a red-ball batter.
"He plays exactly the opposite. When he gets runs at the Test level these days, it's just occupation of the crease, which is an incredible memory that I have of him from England. When he came to the fore as a Test opener, he got a hundred there and ended up as the highest run-getter in that series. The number of hours he batted there in that series. The occupation of the crease is giving him a high now in Tests. It's exactly the opposite role he played in the World Cup," said Manjrekar.
Rohit Sharma was India's leading run-scorer in the England series, with 368 runs in four Tests at an average of 52.57. However, his Test record in South Africa is dismal, to say the least, with an average of 15.37 in four outings.
India will play the first of the two Tests in South Africa, starting in Centurion on December 26.