So everything is hunky-dory about Indian cricket? The team continues to be No 1 in the ICC rankings, they are winning Test series both at home and away, the batting is strong, there is plenty of variety in the spin bowling and the pace attack never had it so good.
But wait, there is a major problem and this exists at the top of the batting order. For some time now the Indians have struggled to get off to a good start and as the sporting adage goes “well begun is half done.’’ Various combinations have been tried out but none has really succeeded. So it is back to the drawing board as far as the opening slots are concerned.
This is where Rohit Sharma comes in and that is why there has been so much talk about his skill and experience being required at the top of the order. There is of course a big difference between Tests and ODIs and not everyone can be successful in both formats. Rohit is a prime example of this. In the shorter format he is one of the best batsmen in the contemporary game. No other single stat symbolizes this better than being the only batsmen with three hundreds in ODIs – no other player has more than one. His recent feat of scoring five hundreds in the World Cup only enhanced his reputation.
Hailing from the Bombay school of batting Rohit should have been a natural for Test cricket but his record is not in keeping with his skill, class and experience. Three hundreds in 27 matches – and two of these came in his first two innings in Test cricket – and an average of 39 is not something that Rohit will be happy about. He will also not be pleased with the fact that he has got only one half century in his last eight innings. Another stat against his name is also not very complimentary – he averages 26 in 18 away Tests.
Interestingly Rohit who is natural as an opener in ODIs has never opened in Tests. He has batted in every position from No 3 to No 6 but with the search now on for a new opener why not Rohit is the question being openly asked. The series against South Africa is at home where Rohit averages 85 after nine Tests. Given this record it is hard to ignore his claims even if he will be opening for the first time.
Rohit however has got competition from many a young talent among them Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran. It now all depends on the selectors whether they opt for youth or experience.