Former Australian skipper, Ian Chappell has said that opening the innings in Test Cricket has saved Rohit Sharma’s career. The Indian captain scored a magnificent 120 in the Nagpur Test against Australia and shut all the critics. Courtesy of his hundred, India posted a massive 400 in their first innings, which helped them beat Australia by a massive margin of an innings and 132 runs.

Chappell said that batting above Virat Kohli has prevented Rohit from being overshadowed by Kohli’s popularity. He further said that becoming the captain of his side has also added another level to his batting.

“The move to open in Test cricket saved Rohit’s career. He looked like he might waste his enormous skill down the order but batting above Virat Kohli has prevented him being overawed by the ex-captain’s popularity. Captaincy has also played a big part in Rohit’s revival; the discipline required to lead a team has added another level to his batting,” wrote Chappell in his column on Mid-Day,

The former Australian captain also said that Rohit assessed the pitch very well and trusted his defence on a difficult wicket, which helped him score a magnificent hundred.

“The state of the pitch was put into perspective by the Indian captain Rohit Sharma. He played a masterful innings that displayed confidence in his own defence, his wide stroke range on a turning – but not impossible pitch – and his ironclad discipline,” Chappell wrote.

Chappell further said that the Indian captain frustrated the Australian bowlers with his wide variety of shots and showed everyone how to bat on Indian pitches.

“Not only did Rohit reveal a wide range of shots, he also frustrated the Australian bowlers with the way he only played them when the time was right. He showed all players, home and touring, how to play on Indian pitches, and his example was flawlessly followed by the much improved Ravindra Jadeja,” wrote Chappell.