India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane expects Rohit Sharma will do well as an opener in the longer format of the game. Rahane performed well during the West Indies series and along with Hanuma Vihari, his place is fixed in the middle-order.
“You want an answer actually? I don’t know yet whether Rohit will open the innings. If he does, I will be happy for him. I said in West Indies also, it is hard to see a special talent like Rohit sitting out,” Rahane said.
Rohit has scored three centuries in 27 Tests with an average of under 40. Many believe that Rohit’s strokeplay is the reason for his downfall, but Rahane thinks differently.
“He has worked so hard and if he gets an opportunity, I am sure, he will do well,” Rahane added. “We all know the quality he has — special talent. Test cricket is all about mindset and ODI cricket, you can just go out there and back yourself. In Test cricket, sometimes if two bowlers are bowling good spells, you need to respect that and come out strong and play your game after that.”
However, it will be difficult for Rohit Sharma to cement his place in the team as there are a couple of players fighting for that spot.
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“You need to practice really hard. Your practice sessions should be really hard so that when you step into play a match, it gets easy for you. Preparation and process is the key. You need to believe yourself and come out strongly. If I can keep my mind at the present — that is Test cricket — other things will fall automatically,” said the senior batsman, who has played 58 Tests and 90 ODIs,” he told.
However, Ajinkya Rahane wants to return in the 50-over format as well. He last played in an ODI 18 months ago.
“Apart from Tests, I really enjoy playing ODI cricket as well. I want to come back to ODIs. Right now, the focus is completely on this series. After the Australia series, there was a long break. When I got to know that I was not part of the World Cup squad, my plan was to play county cricket and luckily the Hampshire people called me and asked about the county cricket,” he concluded.
