Sharma is still the best Indian Test batsman for the former cricketer.
Rohit Sharma is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting Indian batsmen to ever play in the limited-overs format of the game. However, the same cannot be said for his Test career. He only played in 27 matches where he scored a total of 1,585 runs including three centuries and 10 half-centuries.
Despite his excellent performance on home soil, he is yet to find his groove when playing overseas. Just last year, he played in the Test series against Australia where he batted rashly and gave his wicket to Nathan Lyon. He still has a chance of reviving his Test career as he is part of the current team lineup that will face the West Indies in two Tests.
The series will begin after their three-match ODI series against the same opponents. Sharma will be looking to take advantage of the opportunity. Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian cricket player, still believes that Sharma is the best Test batsman to ever play the game.
He said this about Sharma in a newspaper article: “Rohit Sharma is batting as if there is a GPS on his bat with location settings filtered for the white cricket ball. So flawless has been his display that even a coaching manual is looking like a grey market “first copy”. I think this is the moment when Rohit needs someone in his ears to convey the importance of this form. He needs to convert this into big and consistent scores.”
Gambhir also believes that if mentored by the right people such as Sachin Tendulkar, Sharma will definitely be a feared and respected Test batsman.“Then, he needs to carry this batting form into Test cricket. I’d go on to say that if someone like a Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar mentors him for a few months, we may get a completely polished, Test-ready batsman. Sometimes Rohit just seems bored in Test cricket,” he said.
“A few words of advice by these legends may transform that. If things start rolling for Rohit, just imagine India’s Test line up with Pujara at number three, Virat at 4 and Rohit at number 5.”
Gambhir may have a point since Sharma was the leading batsman in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup, with a total of 648 runs in the course of the tournament. A feat very few had done in the past. To find out about the different formats of the game, visit Betwala’s page.
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