Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian batter, believes that Rohit Sharma’s performance as skipper will be crucial for the squad against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit last participated in a complete series during India’s tour of England in 2021. He missed the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. He has since joined and left the team for various causes. On the eve of the first Test, Majrekar stated that India can have a dependable top order against Australia if Rohit can somehow bridge the gap brought on by a lack of playing time.
“The last he played a full series, it was in England. I haven’t seen someone bat so well at the top of the order. Rohit Sharma was by far India’s best batter in that series. He played well against a difficult attack, consisting of James Anderson. Since he is coming back into Tests after a long time, the issue is match practice and match fitness. But, with the technique he has and the temperament at this stage of his career, it is great to see. If he can close the gap caused by lack of practice soon, then India will have a reliable top-order batter for the series,” Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo.
Notably, Rohit has been absent from eight of India’s last ten Test matches. When India plays Australia in the opening Test in Nagpur, both his performance and his qualifications to serve as captain will be scrutinized. Three spinners, including Ravichandran Ashwin and then welcomed back Ravindra Jadeja, are set to be fielded by India. The circumstances in India have historically been difficult for foreign teams, with England being destroyed 3-1 in 2021. India has won the sides’ last three meetings, including twice in Australia, and Australia last won a Test series there in 2004.
