Former Indian cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri delivered the highest respect to current Indian captain Rohit Sharma, equating his batting style to that of the famous Virender Sehwag. On Day 1 of the Nagpur Test, Rohit recorded his maiden Test half-century as Test captain and seems to be in command.
After restricting the visitors to a below-par score on the first day of the first Test, it was Rohit Sharma’s time to increase the pressure on the Australians. The flashy opener batted alongside KL Rahul and tried to make runs in a solid opening partnership.
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who worked closely with Rohit during his time with the national team, compares his batting approach to that of Virender Sehwag. With his strong determination at the crease, the current Indian captain, like Sehwag, does not allow bowlers to relax.
“Rohit remains and immediately gets it. He will not let any bowler rest. Runs will come, much like Viru when he’s at his finest. While Virender Sehwag was in form, he made the middle order’s task much simpler by taking it to the opposition early on. “It will be his duty,” Shastri remarked on the ICC Review programme.
The Indian opener has not been tested as a skipper, having played in just two Tests since taking over from Virat Kohli. Shastri, on the other hand, claimed that there is no test since he has already established his leadership qualifications. He believes the Mumbai Indians captain is an excellent game reader who ‘does his research’ before each encounter.
“It’s not a test of his leadership, in my opinion. He’s gotten over it. He’s a great leader, a shrewd operator, and his record as an opening batsman in India is outstanding. I have no problems from a tactical standpoint. He’ll get the job done. He understands exactly what to do and when to do it… As a captain, I don’t believe he needs to prove anything to anybody.
“He completes his assignment. He does an excellent job on his assignments. He’s big on, I wouldn’t say numbers, but he’ll hash out a lot of stuff with the analyst. He is tactically aware, “The former Indian cricketer went on to say.
