New Delhi: Rohit Sharma needs to have an air of intent and aggressive attitude to excel as a batter against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, feels Matthew Hayden.
Rohit will mark his guard on the fourth day of the third Test in Brisbane on Tuesday with India precariously placed at 51/4 in reply of Australia’s first innings score of 445 runs.
He will have KL Rahul for company in an attempt to avoid follow-on and salvage the situation. With the five-match series locked at 1-1 after two Tests, the Brisbane match could decide the course of the contest.
Hence a big effort is required from Rohit, who was dismissed cheaply in both the innings in the second Test at Adelaide, after missing the series opener at Perth due to paternity leave.
Usually a fluent stroke-maker, Rohit wasn’t his usual self at Adelaide, batting with circumspect and trying to feel for the ball. Hayden pointed it out and said he has to bat more freely to be effective in the series.
“When I think of Rohit Sharma, I think of a free-scoring batsman. You look at those double hundreds in one day cricket, his magnificence in the short formats…” Hayden told Star Sports.
“For purely Rohit Sharma’s sake, he needs to have a great intent and energy about him. When I think back to Adelaide’s first game here in a long time, he was just a little sluggish.”
‘Be reactive’
India’s top order batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant departed quickly on Monday, despite rain washing out more than half of the day’s action.
But irrespective of the situation, Rohit must back his aggressive instincts to score runs rather than being coy at the crease.
“I’d be saying to him as his partner, ‘I don’t really want to see you defend the ball here’. I want him to be really reactive to the ball, really up for the fight, because his natural game will flow,” the former Australia opener said.
“Energy and intent will take that front foot a lot further towards the ball. Rohit, what I want you to do, my brother, is play with great energy and intent, and I’d have those as two maybe trigger words for him to think about in his preparation.”
Rohit Sharma will bat on the fourth day of the third Test in Brisbane with India precariously placed at 51/4 in reply of Australia’s first innings score of 445 runs. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
