Rohit Sharma is a special player. I am not talking about his silken drives or effortless batting, but the special treatment he receives from team-mates, management and fans in general.
Rohit made his international debut in 2007. And ever since, he has been earmarked as a supremely talented batsman who has that extra bit of time to play pace and spin. And in limited overs cricket he has justified his billing, smashing two double centuries in 148 matches.
Test cricket, however, has not turned out the way he or India had hoped for. Rohit had to wait until 2013 to play his first Test and while his first two innings were extraordinary – 177 and 111 not out – the opposition and the venues (West Indies at Kolkata and then Mumbai) worked in his favour.
However, since then the going has been tough. Rohit has one fifty each in Australia and New Zealand while in four Tests against South Africa (two each home and away) he failed to cross 25. An average of 32 from 17 Tests is not what most had expected for and his selection, therefore, for the third Test in the Caribbean generated quite a buzz.
With Cheteshwar Pujara struggling, Rohit was going to get an opportunity at some point; nothing surprising about that. But it’s the thinking behind the move that has baffled me. After India won the match in St Lucia, captain Virat Kohli was asked about the changes to the team – namely seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for Umesh Yadav and Rohit for Pujara.
While explaining the decision, Kohli said that Rohit deserves an extended run in the team and that is possible only if he is allowed to bat at No5. So Kohli moved himself to the No3 position and asked vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane to bat one spot higher so that Rohit could slot in at the preferred position.
Dear Rohit Sharma, learn something from Bhuvi, he got very few opportunities to play for India in Tests, he didn't miss any.
— Sunil- The Cricketer (@1sInto2s) August 12, 2016
“I am not fixated by my batting spot. If the team needs, I can open the batting too because that’s the rule applicable to everyone in the team,” Kohli explained. “It’s not as if I will stay at No4 and others will shuffle their positions. To field a player like Rohit Sharma we had to make him bat at No5. To make that happen the other players will go one place up the order.”
On the one hand Kohli talks about flexibility in the batting order, but on the other says it is to be done so that Rohit can play at one spot. Now there is nothing wrong in experimenting but I am afraid the Indian management is tinkering with the line-up unnecessarily.
India are anyhow playing one batsman short as they have all but adopted the five-bowler theory, meaning the likes of wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha or off-spinner Ravi Ashwin will come into bat at four down. That is a big risk in Tests and can be exploited by stronger bowling attacks like England and South Africa.
Virat failed in both innings in the third Test batting at No3 and I don’t believe it will work in the future either. Ideally, the player with the best technique in the team should bat there and the ‘big run-getters’ below him. As of now, Kohli and Rahane are the two batsmen who can be relied upon to score against any opposition and to ‘expose’ them to the new ball is not a smart move.
What I also disagree with is the idea that a batsman ‘has’ to be played in a certain position. Rahul Dravid opened the batting in England in 2011, after the openers got injured, and scored two centuries. Kohli and Rahane have settled into their respective positions after piling on the runs across formats and shuffling up and down the order in limited overs cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin now has a better Test batting average than Rohit Sharma
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) August 9, 2016
Ashwin - 33.25
Rohit - 32.32
It’s a privilege they have earned. If Rohit is hungry and disciplined enough, he should be asked to perform at No3 and if he stands up to the challenge, then possibly move him to No5 if the need arises. Test cricket is an unforgiving format and if Rohit is not up for it, he will be found out.
So to change the line-up that is working for something that might not deliver doesn’t make cricketing sense. But it seems the Indian management has made up its mind. Kohli was clear when he stated that this a long-term strategy and he is willing to give up his batting position to accommodate Rohit.
That is a massive vote of approval for the Mumbai batsman and he simply has to pile on the runs against better opposition. He is 29 and has nearly completed 10 years on the international scene. Despite a run of low scores in the format, a golden opportunity has been given to him with the added bonus of a reserved spot.
If Rohit doesn’t grab the opportunity now, I am afraid he never will. And don’t forget, Murali Vijay had to sit out of the third Test despite being fit. He has been in prolific form as an opener, averaging more than 42 for three straight years and that too against quality attacks.
I wonder what he would make of such unconditional love for one particular player.
