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Rohit Sharma as an opener in Test matches?

cr7great

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i think rohit shd open the batting in test also..........may be his performance get better................... i think he dont know how to built inning in middle order
 
Opening is the easiest batting position in ODIs , best position to hide a batsmen who cannot play well under pressure and some one who cannot rotate strike . The field restrictions make a lot of medioce bats look like greats
In Tests , its the opposite ..opening is the most difficult position
 
in aust. it more abt. bounce than swing...he is good player of. bounce
 
i rate him best of bouncy wicket after kohli and rahane in this current team
 
Rohit was equally hopeless in ODI's as well before he shifted to the top.

But in ODIs he doesn't have to face swing so much.

Against Steyn in Joberg ODI, the same Rohit couldn't put bat on ball.

Very risky move.

We have KL Rahul. Go for specialists.
 
we are going with speclst for last 4 years ........result remained same......
 
But in ODIs he doesn't have to face swing so much.

Against Steyn in Joberg ODI, the same Rohit couldn't put bat on ball.

Very risky move.

We have KL Rahul. Go for specialists.

Risky move it'll be but somehow I think he is worth the gamble before we dump him for good. He has potential to be a match winner. Sehwag was a similar story as well.
 
Risky move it'll be but somehow I think he is worth the gamble before we dump him for good. He has potential to be a match winner. Sehwag was a similar story as well.

I personally don't have any hopes from Rohit.

Even in ODIs.

Somehow he doesn't inspire any confidence in me.

Better option is to go and ask him to open in some green mamba track dished out in a domestic game and see how he goes.
 
No need. Drop him from next test.

Even in the middle order he is crap & how do people expect him to bat on a fresh pitch & new ball.

Even raina opening will be better option for us than rohit. Will atleast bowl 8-10 overs.
 
Forget about opening Rohit is not good enough to be anywhere near the squad
 
Its better to go with one extra bowler than to have hacks like Rohit and Dhawan floating around in the Test team. Get Ashwin in, he will out-bat both these batsmen at any position.
 
these type of bowlers........lol

Its all about lending balance to the side. Having Rohit in Tests isn't going to make much difference, but having another quality swing-bowler who will keep things under control for extended spells does.
 
Right now, we cannot afford Aaron/Shami in the side because we are a Bhuvi short.
 
Rohit is the Ishant of Indian batting side.He can be put anywhere in the team but his performance outside India will be the same.
 
Rohit is the Ishant of Indian batting side.He can be put anywhere in the team but his performance outside India will be the same.

Why, Ishant is hopeless in India as well.
 
Why, Ishant is hopeless in India as well.

But he occasionally shows brilliance at times that's why similar.I miss Srinath however slow he was he had the discipline unlike these 'Dudes'.
 
But he occasionally shows brilliance at times that's why similar.I miss Srinath however slow he was he had the discipline unlike these 'Dudes'.

Kumble too. Our biggest loss from both home and overseas tests.
 
No he's fine in the middle order - give him a decent chance and I think he'll come good. Pujara, Kohli, Rahane and Rohit will be India's regular middle order I hope. India do need another test opener though because Dhawan won't be around for long - he failed altogether in England and if he fails to register at least a couple of significant scores during this test series he'll be dropped and rightly so.
 
I don't rate him at all as an opener in any format overseas. He has some serious issues with the new cherry and I don't see him surviving a hos
 
*hostile spell from any of the top fast bowlers. Needs to be given an extended run at his current position.
 
India will be 10/1 most of the time. He leaves a too big a gap between bat and pad.
 
Kumble too. Our biggest loss from both home and overseas tests.

I remember as soon as the 7th wicket of opposition fell, it was just a matter of time before he wrapped things up.

India's test transition fell apart because Gauti-Sehwag-Zak-Harbhajan who were supposed to carry forward post big 4, fell apart quickly as well. :(
 
KL Rahul form a concern, will consider Rohit Sharma as Test opener: MSK Prasad

India chief selector MSK Prasad has said he is worried with KL Rahul's poor form in Test cricket and indicated it might be time for Rohit Sharma to step up as an opener in the five-day format as well.

Rohit Sharma is the most dangerous opening batsman in the shorter formats with 3 ODI double hundreds and 4 T20I hundreds but is yet to seal a permanent berth in the Test team. He was part of the Test squad for the 2-match series in the West Indies but he did not get to play either game.

Rohit Sharma was seen as a middle-order option but Hanuma Vihari has cemented the No.6 with some sensational performances in the Caribbean. That leaves Rohit Sharma with an opportunity to try and fit in as an opener in the Test side.

Back in 2013, Rohit Sharma was promoted to open the innings for India in ODIs with Shikhar Dhawan and he has not looked back since.

While Hanuma Vihari has justified Virat Kohli's decision to pick him over Rohit Sharma in the middle-order during the recent two-Test series against the West Indies, KL Rahul has only flattered to deceive, exactly the point that former captain Sourav Ganguly also made.

India next play South Africa at home in a three-match T20I series, which will be followed by three Tests. The Test squad is yet to be announced and the big question is if Rohit will be tried as an opener ahead of Rahul.

The answer lies with the captain and the national selectors, who are yet to zero in on the squad for the Test series. Ganguly, VVS Laxman and former opener Gautam Gambhir have insisted that Rohit should be given a chance at the top of the order at the expense of KL Rahul.

National selectors have not rejected the idea and could consider the proposition when they sit to select the Test team.

"As selection committee we haven't met after the conclusion of the West Indies tour. We will definitely take this (Rohit as opener) point into consideration when we all meet and discuss about it," MSK Prasad, chairman of the national selection committee, told India Today in an exclusive interview.

"KL (Rahul) is definitely a great talent. Of course, he is going through a bit tough time in Test cricket. We are definitely concerned about his form. He needs to spend more time on the wicket and regain his touch and form," the former wicketkeeper-batsman added.

https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cr...ahul-virat-kohli-captaincy-1597318-2019-09-09
 
Rohit is not good for Test. There is a reason why he didn't succeed at Test level.

His batting suits ODI and T20.
 
Opening in test matches is very tough than no 6, no way Rohit will succeed. He is not test material , at 32 anyway he is past it.
 
Rohit will always struggle when the ball moves around. He will however cash in big time on flat wickets, the Indians should have backed him to be the next Sehwag for them in test matches
 
With the red ball replacing the white one and bright white uniforms – albeit with numbers on the rear side – taking over from coloured clothing, The focus has shifted from India’s No. 4 to the opening pair. KL Rahul’s below-par performance in the recently-concluded two-match Test series in the West Indies and the unavailability of Prithvi Shaw due to a doping ban has forced the selectors to look for other options for India’s Test opener. Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad has indicated that limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma can be an option and that thought has now received backing from Dilip Vengsarkar, who is a former chairman of selectors himself.

Terming Rohit a world class player, Vengsarkar said he only needs a platform to perform.

“To make him bat in the opening position or No. 3 or 4 doesn’t really make much of a difference. It is just about the mental state. It is a good thing that he will be opening; he will get a dedicated slot to bat in. He is a world-class player and has proved it. Give him a platform, and he will perform. He delivered when the whole world was watching during his innings [of 140] against Pakistan in the World Cup. He is a big-match player, so I am sure he will succeed,” Vengsarkar told Mid-day.

Vengsarkar also expressed his disappointment that Rohit was not given a game in the two-match series against West Indies. “Leaving a player like Rohit out of the playing XI was very surprising. He is a world-class player. Would the team management have dropped him if we were playing a strong team like England or Australia? “After scoring five centuries in the World Cup and being in such great form, it was unfair to leave him out of the playing XI. We don’t know why he was dropped,” said the former India batsman.

The Indian selectors meanwhile, will meet in Mumbai on Thursday to select India’s Test squad for the three-match series against South Africa.

South Africa’s tour of India starts with the three-match T20I series September 15 at Dharamsala

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...ia-in-tests/story-bH67LiKJdfpMca00n5FXuL.html
 
Will get badly exposed on testing wickets. Just as he was in South Africa and then he will be dropped and cast aside like Dhawan.
 
‘Ideal time’ to open with Rohit Sharma : Virat Kohli

The use of Rohit Sharma at the top of the order in Test cricket had been “discussed for a long time” said India captain Virat Kohli on the eve of his side’s series-opener against South Africa.

Rohit, an established opener in India’s limited-overs sides, will open the batting in Test cricket for the first time in the opening Test at Visakhapatnam, having primarily spent his previous 27 Test appearances in the middle order.

While Rohit has been a success in coloured clothing – he hit five hundreds at this year’s 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – his Test career has seen him in and out of the Indian line-up since his debut in November 2013.

“It’s been discussed for a long time now,” admitted Kohli when going over the discussion to use Rohit as a long-form opener.

“We felt like down the order, it was about finding a spot wherever possible, which wasn't working both ways. For Rohit as well, I think clarity of role and knowing that, you know, you have to play in a certain position also is very crucial for a player.

"For us and the management together, the communication happened a long while back. But we could not see a situation where that could happen in a match. But now we have a situation where the opportunity is there. So we thought it's the ideal time to go ahead with it because we have spoken about it.

"And in one-day cricket, it was the same. He played in the middle order, but then suddenly, opening conversations happened and within six to eight months, he was opening the innings and you know what happened afterwards. So look, it's very exciting for him, for the whole team, If he can do what he's done in one-day cricket at the top in red-ball cricket, then obviously, it's a great thing for him and Indian cricket.”

When discussing what type of opener Rohit might act as, Kohli said that the 32-year-old will be allowed to shape his own game at the top of the order, but did declare that Rohit has the ability to display the same level of aggression that former India opener Virender Sehwag exhibited during his career.

"In Test cricket it’s about finding your game in different conditions,” said Kohli. “Sometimes in India, on day one, if the pitch is good to bat on, you might be playing more shots than you would in South Africa, New Zealand, England. But having said that we’re not looking at a certain kind of display of batting from Rohit. It’s about him finding his game at the top. And yes, his [Rohit’s] strength is to take the game forward. So if he [can bat] like someone like Viru bhai [Sehwag] used to do for the team for a long period – it's not like someone would have told him, you need to go and attack, or you need to get a hundred before lunch. Basically, his natural instinct took over. Once he felt comfortable with his game, he could demolish attacks and really put the team in pole position.

"So I'm sure, in time, as Rohit grows into that role, he will be able to do that because he definitely has the ability to do that. As I said, we are rushing him in no way to do that from innings one or innings two. It's about him feeling comfortable as to when he can do it. And that's been his strength, you won't see Rohit following the template of a [Cheteshwar] Pujara whose strength is totally different.

"It's about finding your own balance, finding your own game, we're not necessarily looking forward to one kind of mode from him at the top. It totally depends on the situation. If the wicket is challenging and we are three down and he is still in, obviously you won't see him smashing the ball all over the place. He’s a mature cricketer, is smart enough to understand what the situation demands. He and the whole team is looking forward to him playing his natural game whenever he feels absolutely comfortable in that spot.”

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1366041
 
He is at the peak of his powers. This is the perfect time for India to give him a chance to open in Test cricket. The idea that he can only deliver on flat wickets is lazy and has not been true for a while.

He has the experience and the temperament to be an all-round batsman now. This could prove to be a very inspired call and yet another example of why Kohli is the greatest Asian Test captain of all time.
 
This could be fun. May not work , but if it does pay off at least it will be entertaining .
 
People were naive to doubt Rohit's ability to open batting in Subcontinent. Rohit is the best flat pitch player in the world and he's excellent against spin. Swing and seam bowlers are neutralized in India so Rohit's technique against them is non factor.
 
Rohit Sharma headlined the opening day of the first Test against South Africa with a stunning century in Vizag on Wednesday. With his first Test century as an opener and 4th overall, Rohit Sharma achieved an average of 98.22 in Tests in India. In 15 innings, Rohit has scored 884 runs, including four hundreds and five fifties. Interestingly, Rohit Sharma's average is the joint-best among all batsmen with 10-plus innings, sharing top spot with none other than the legendary Don Bradman, who also averaged 98.22 at home in 50 innings.

Moreover, Rohit Sharma joined Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw to become the 4th Indian to score a century when opening for the first time in Tests.

Rohit Sharma also became the first Indian to score a century each, across formats, as an opener.

Rohit Sharma is now the seventh batsman in the world to score a century in Tests, ODIs and T20Is as an opener, after Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Ahmed Shehzad, Shane Watson, and Tamim Iqbal.

"I think it suits my game," Rohit Sharma said after rain forced early stumps on Day 1 in Vizag.

"Just wear the pads and go in to bat. I don't like the waiting game," he added.

"You know the bowlers who are bowling with the new ball, so the game plan is easier for you... At number six, the ball is reversing, field placement is different and you need to keep all those things in mind," Rohit Sharma said.

As far as the match is concerned, Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat against South Africa. Rohit Sharma (115*) and Mayank Agarwal (84*) took the hosts to 202/0 at stumps on Day 1.

https://sports.ndtv.com/india-vs-so...th-test-century-2110883?pfrom=home-topstories
 
I think Rohit should open in Test from now on. He is looking to be in good touch.
 
I wish him well. He is an excellent batsman to watch when in full flight.
I think though that there is not much future in this move. He will do well in the home series but get exposed outside India. At which point Shaw should replace him and take up a 10 year commission at the top of the innings
 
Sharma Will Be India's Game Changer Overseas, Says Batting Coach

Ranchi, India, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2019 ) :Rohit Sharma has sealed the opener's slot with his third century of the South Africa series and will be India's game changer on away tours, Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour said Saturday.
Sharma hit an unbeaten 117 on the opening day of the third and final Test to lead the hosts to 224 for three when bad light followed by rain forced early stumps in Ranchi.

The senior batsman, who hit twin centuries in his debut as Test opener in the first match, put on 185 runs with Ajinkya Rahane, 83 not out, after India were in early trouble at 39-3.

"I always believed he is too good a player not to be playing in any format. It was a good call to make him to open," Rathour said of the limited-overs star.

"With the amount of runs he has scored, he has settled the issue (of opening the batting) for the time being.

"Somebody of his experience and the kind of cricket he plays, if he starts coming good top of the order, it changes everything for the Indian team, even when you're touring." Virat Kohli's India will travel to New Zealand for a full series next year including two Tests in February-March.

Sharma, who is playing his 30th Test since his debut in 2013, curbed his attacking instincts to get through a fiery morning spell from South Africa's Kagiso Rabada who struck twice.

Anrich Nortje joined forces to earn his maiden Test scalp after trapping Indian skipper Virat Kohli lbw for 12.

Sharma played it cool to fifty then soon launched an attack with a barrage of sixes, reaching his sixth Test hundred with his fourth hit over the fence amid loud applause from the home crowd.

Rathour believes the experienced batsman has got his game plan together after settling in to the opener's role alongside Mayank Agarwal.

"He is such an experienced player. I don't think you need to change anything with his technique. The only adjustment I think he had to make was his gameplans," said Rathour.

"Once he's set, he's a phenomenal player, we all know that he can really punish you. So he just needed to make that mental adjustment to his gameplans. He has done that well." Sharma made 176 and 127 in the first and second innings of the opening match to set the tone for India's domination in the series.

The 50-year-old Rathour, a former batsman who played six Tests for India between 1996-97, also praised Rahane's approach on a tough wicket.

Rahane, India's Test vice-captain, hit 11 fours and one sixes during his 135-ball stay at the wicket.

"Whenever he bats with this intent he looks really a good player. So today he showed that," said Rathour.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/sports/sharma-will-be-indias-game-changer-overseas-741192.html
 
Sharma Will Be India's Game Changer Overseas, Says Batting Coach

Ranchi, India, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2019 ) :Rohit Sharma has sealed the opener's slot with his third century of the South Africa series and will be India's game changer on away tours, Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour said Saturday.
Sharma hit an unbeaten 117 on the opening day of the third and final Test to lead the hosts to 224 for three when bad light followed by rain forced early stumps in Ranchi.

The senior batsman, who hit twin centuries in his debut as Test opener in the first match, put on 185 runs with Ajinkya Rahane, 83 not out, after India were in early trouble at 39-3.

"I always believed he is too good a player not to be playing in any format. It was a good call to make him to open," Rathour said of the limited-overs star.

"With the amount of runs he has scored, he has settled the issue (of opening the batting) for the time being.

"Somebody of his experience and the kind of cricket he plays, if he starts coming good top of the order, it changes everything for the Indian team, even when you're touring." Virat Kohli's India will travel to New Zealand for a full series next year including two Tests in February-March.

Sharma, who is playing his 30th Test since his debut in 2013, curbed his attacking instincts to get through a fiery morning spell from South Africa's Kagiso Rabada who struck twice.

Anrich Nortje joined forces to earn his maiden Test scalp after trapping Indian skipper Virat Kohli lbw for 12.

Sharma played it cool to fifty then soon launched an attack with a barrage of sixes, reaching his sixth Test hundred with his fourth hit over the fence amid loud applause from the home crowd.

Rathour believes the experienced batsman has got his game plan together after settling in to the opener's role alongside Mayank Agarwal.

"He is such an experienced player. I don't think you need to change anything with his technique. The only adjustment I think he had to make was his gameplans," said Rathour.

"Once he's set, he's a phenomenal player, we all know that he can really punish you. So he just needed to make that mental adjustment to his gameplans. He has done that well." Sharma made 176 and 127 in the first and second innings of the opening match to set the tone for India's domination in the series.

The 50-year-old Rathour, a former batsman who played six Tests for India between 1996-97, also praised Rahane's approach on a tough wicket.

Rahane, India's Test vice-captain, hit 11 fours and one sixes during his 135-ball stay at the wicket.

"Whenever he bats with this intent he looks really a good player. So today he showed that," said Rathour.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/sports/sharma-will-be-indias-game-changer-overseas-741192.html
Some fans won't like this. They have already decided that he is a FTB. :inti
 
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Lets see how he performs in overseas conditions , that will decide whether he really is test match material or not.
 
Lets see how he performs in overseas conditions , that will decide whether he really is test match material or not.

Even as a middle order he started exactly like this in Tests. So i will reserve my judgement. Good for him if he does well. Probably his ODI batting as opener has helped him adapt easily.
 
Can Rohit Sharma play the role of Sehwag in the current Indian test team?

Sehwag wasn't too effective outside Asia, but was arguably the greatest ever test batsman in Asian conditions. Although I feel Sharma at his best can better Sehwag in non Asian conditions.

I think if Sharma can play that role for the next 4-5 years, India would have a good chance to challenge England-SA-NZ the next time they travel there. One of the main reasons for India's failure to win in England-SA last year was that the openers were walking wickets.
 
It's a great failure on the part of Indian cricket to have lost out on several years of Rohit Sharma the test player because of persisting with average batsmen such as Vijay, Dhawan and Rahul at the top of the order. Sharma had the ability to have been one of the greatest batsmen in Indian history if he had been given a clear role in the test side. I don't think any other batsman has played with such efficient aggression once he gets set at the crease. Possibly the most destructive batsman I've ever seen.
 
Rohit was given enough opportunity on his part to fulfill his potential in all formats of the game.

He was given more opportunity than anyone else would be given in Odis and he showed up with result after 2013.

In tests also, he was given a lot of opportunities and he has always done well at home but was poor away in alien conditions.

At home, he was and still is an incredible batsmen and arguably has in him to be one of the greatest in Asia because of his ability to attack pace early on in the inning and take the game away. Away from home, we still don't know and we don't have enough options either.

To Rohit's credit, he did looked better in that inning against that legendary quartet SA pace attack in South Africa in that test. He survived 60 balls which was unexpected of him. He showed signs of improvement but it took him lots of years to do this and we still don't know if he has in him to do well outside Asia on a consistent basis.
 
I hope he does succeed overseas in tests. People have a myth that you can only be successful in test cricket by being a blocker with good technique.

The best test players of all time are always looking to score. Look at Lara, Smith, Sachin, Viv, and Ponting. They always ensure they put the bad balls away and rotate strike.

If Rohit can find a way to see off the new ball, I think he will do well overseas.
 
We don't know how he would do as an opener outside India. Rohit can't play swing or seam, never has even in ODIs. On spinning and flat pitches, he's one of the greatest batsman of all time.
 
It's a great failure on the part of Indian cricket to have lost out on several years of Rohit Sharma the test player because of persisting with average batsmen such as Vijay, Dhawan and Rahul at the top of the order. Sharma had the ability to have been one of the greatest batsmen in Indian history if he had been given a clear role in the test side. I don't think any other batsman has played with such efficient aggression once he gets set at the crease. Possibly the most destructive batsman I've ever seen.

I agree. They should have opened with him around 2015-16 when he had established himself as a phenomenal ODI opener with big runs everywhere. Better late than never though, he can still perform at his peak for another 4 years.

An incredible player who is already an Indian legend in my opinion.
 
We don't know how he would do as an opener outside India. Rohit can't play swing or seam, never has even in ODIs. On spinning and flat pitches, he's one of the greatest batsman of all time.

This whole issue is overblown. He will do well in Australia, West Indies and other Asian sides. He might struggle in England and New Zealand and most likely in South Africa, but how many Indian openers - or openers from any country - have scored everywhere?
 
This whole issue is overblown. He will do well in Australia, West Indies and other Asian sides. He might struggle in England and New Zealand and most likely in South Africa, but how many Indian openers - or openers from any country - have scored everywhere?

Most certainly he will fail in SA against good pace bowling. He might do well on some pitches in England like he did in world cup and previous tour. In New zealand, if India bats second he can be monsterous once he gets through the initial phase. On those small grounds he can score quickly.
 
What a player. Watched him live at Old Trafford. Sheer class.

Can surpass Sehwag if he can score away.
 
Rohit Sharma is only three matches into his role as a Test opener, so it is perhaps too early to draw sweeping conclusions. But what is also clear is that he is not a total misfit for the job. Over the last three weeks, Rohit has accumulated 529 runs in four innings, more than any Indian opener in a three-match home series except Virender Sehwag, who managed 544 against Pakistan in 2005, but over six innings. In the third and final Test against South Africa at the JSCA Stadium here, Rohit had to battle for his runs, against some hostile pace bowling. But he survived the tough bits, and then cashed in.

“It’s not like only after opening, I wanted to do well,” he said here on Sunday. “Wherever I used to play even before, I always tried to do well. Right now, I’ve played only three Test matches as an opener, so there’s a long way to go. I’m not reading too much into it but of course I’ll take a lot of positives from it.”

Rohit had hitherto batted mostly at 5 and 6 in Test matches, so he needed to make adjustments to open, he felt. “Opening the batting is a different challenge to batting at No.6 or 5 or 7. Because playing the first ball of a match, compared to playing after 30-40 overs, it’s a different ball-game. You have to be mindful of which ball you have to play at, and which ball you have to leave. I was allowing myself to take time, rather than going after the bowlers straightaway. You also have to play with a low backlift and things like that, in these conditions,” he said.

Rohit was stuck on 199 going into the lunch break but he was not bothered, he stated. “I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating. It’s just the laws of the game. The time it has to finish, it has to finish. I was not thinking about it (the 200) at all. I knew that whenever it’s supposed to happen, it will happen. In terms of what was thrown at me in this particular Test match, I would definitely say that this was probably the most challenging knock,” he said.

Rohit was determined to bat well as an opener for other reasons too. “I had to use this opportunity fully, otherwise I knew you guys would write a lot about me,” he told reporters. “But now you can write something good.”

https://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/probably-most-challenging-knock-rohit/article29751888.ece
 
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