Rohit Sharma needs to carry his limited overs form into Test cricket, feels Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes that Rohit Sharma must now carry his ODI and T20 form over into Test cricket, starting with the matches against the Windies. Despite having established himself as an ODI great, the opener is yet to assert his authority in the game's longest format.
Rohit Sharma's inability to find his feet in Test Cricket is probably the most baffling, puzzling thing in the entirety of the sport, and despite having had plenty of chances in the past to prove his mettle, the Mumbaikar has failed to take them. Come August 22, the 32-year-old will have one more opportunity against the Windies to showcase his talent and skillsĀ in red-ball cricket, and perhaps, even seal a place in theĀ Indian middle-order for a long time.Ā
Gautam Gambhir feels that this will be the perfect time for Rohit to replicate his limited-overs form in Test cricket, and has even called forĀ the idea of either Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid mentoring him in order to help him polish his red-ball skills. The 37-year-old also firmly believes that Rohit can transform himself into a Test superstar and make the Indian middle-order an invincible one if he's helped by someone to tune his mind.
"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. 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," Gambhir wrote in his column forĀ ToI.
"Sometimes Rohit just seems bored in Test cricket. 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," he added.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper also lauded Rohit for his prowess in the shorter formats, describing his technique and approach to the game as "flawless".Ā
"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," Gambhir said.Ā
Meanwhile, the limelight in the first two T20Is has been on Rishabh Pant, who has only accumulated a combined score of four runs in two matches. Gambhir feels that Pant, who has been asked to fill in the boots of MS Dhoni, needs to bring consistency to the table, putting his flamboyancy aside. He also stated that the 21-year-old needed to take up more responsibility on his shoulders.
"I will be particularly concentrating on Rishabh Pant. He has this huge opportunity to fill in the shoes of MS Dhoni. It won't be easy but even if Pant is safe without being flamboyant, he would have done the job well.
"I am all for youth and its expression but beyond everything they need to be responsible too. I don't know where the patient-quotient of the selectors lies with him but they surely want him to get his consistency going. And, so do we," Gambhir said.