IND vs SA | Rohit just had to make some mental adjustments vis-a-vis his gameplan, asserts Vikram Rathour
After Rohit Sharma scored his third century of the series, Vikram Rathour has stated that few mental adjustments according to the game-plan helped the former become a solid opener in Test cricket. The former Indian player has also added that Ajinkya Rahane batted with great intent today in Ranchi.
After a testing first hour or so, the wicket in Ranchi flattened out considerably, resulting in the ball coming to the ball pretty easily. Rohit Sharma did a great job of hanging in out there, negotiating the moving ball in splendid fashion, before throwing his bat around for a well-crafted century. It, in more ways than one, a classic Rohit innings, that made Vikram Rathour go gaga over his batting.
"He (Rohit) is too good a player to not play all formats. Opening the batting with him was the right decision. And the number of runs he has scored, he has settled the issue (of opening) for the time being. If somebody of his stature starts coming good at the top of the order, that changes everything for the team, even when you are touring. He is such an experienced player; I don't think you need to tinker with his technique. He just had to make some mental adjustments vis-a-vis his gameplan," Rathour said at the end of day's play, reported Sportstar.
While Rohit made solid technical and mental adjustments, as Rathour noted, Ajinkya Rahane gave him solid support from the other end. Coming in at a difficult time of 39/3, Rahane made himself accustomed to the pace of the wicket while scoring an unbeaten 83 in the process. Rathour was all praise for the Mumbaikar's intent.
"I think he (Rahane) showed great intent today. Whenever he bats with this kind of intent, he looks a really good player. Both Rohit and Rahane punished the bad balls and once the wicket settled down, they could drive well too. It was a great partnership," he said.