New Delhi: Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has been earning praise from all corners for his fearless approach and aggressive leadership that helped the hosts pull off a sensational 7-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the recently concluded 2nd Test at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Despite losing over 200 overs of action after two days of complete washouts in the rain-marred Test match, India managed to force a result with brilliant batting and exceptional bowling.
Rohit led from the front with the bat and played a quickfire knock during India’s first innings on Day 4 which set the tone for the rest of the batters as they capitalised and took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners. With the 7-wicket win in the 2nd Test, India registered a 2-0 clean sweep against Bangladesh in the two-match series to win their 18th straight Test series at home and maintain their top spot on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
Rohit, who is being lauded for his captaincy, had recently credited former India captain Virat Kohli and ex-head coach Ravi Shastri for reviving his Test career and handing him a ‘second birth’ in the longest format. It was under Kohli’s captaincy that Rohit got a chance to open in Tests for the first time in 2019 and the Hitman has not looked back ever since.
During an interview with sports present Jatin Sapru, Rohit opened up on the revival of his Test career and lauded Kohli and Shastri for giving him a chance to open for India which changed his fortunes. Rohit made his Test debut for India in 2013 but never quite managed to cement his spot in the team. He usually batted in the middle order and had played only 27 Tests till 2018 before the decision by Shastri and Kohli changed the trajectory of his Test career.
“In the second innings, I was very grateful to Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli for giving me the opportunity to bat up the order. It wasn’t an easy decision to promote me in Tests. They trusted me. They asked me to play one practice match, which I did. I got out on the very first ball, but I realized that I didn’t have any other choice. It felt like a second birth in Test cricket. I knew I had to grab this opportunity, whether it meant opening, batting at No. 5 or 6, or even lower down the order,” Rohit told Sapru on the show.
Rohit Sharma’s rise in Test cricket
Rohit’s Test revival kicked off after he slammed a brilliant knock of 176 runs against South Africa in October 2019 and there has been no looking back ever since. The prolific right-hander quickly went on to establish his credentials as one of the best openers in the longest format as well after dominating over the years in white-ball cricket.
Rohit had only 1585 runs to his name in 27 Tests before being backed as a regular opener by the Kohli-Shastri duo. The Hitman currently has 2594 runs in 34 Tests, including 9 centuries and 7 fifties under his belt. He is also India’s highest run-getter in the World Test Championship (WTC) with 2594 runs from 34 matches at an average of over 47.
The backing from Kohli and Shastri proved to be vital for Rohit as he successfully cemented his spot in the longest format and continued batting with his natural attacking approach. Rohit took over as India’s full-time Test captain in February 2022 after Kohli stepped down from the post.
India have continued their dominance in the whites under Rohit’s captaincy and are well on course to reach their third consecutive WTC final after beating Bangladesh 2-0 in the recently concluded Test series. India had lost their last WTC final against Australia last year under Rohit’s captaincy but will be hoping to end their wait for the elusive title next year.
India Test captain Rohit Sharma recently revealed how Virat Kohli played a key role in reviving his Test career by giving him an opportunity to open in the longest format. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
