VVS Laxman chooses between Rohit Sharma and Pujara
Asked to choose between Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara for the Indian Test squad, former Indian international VVS Laxman leaned towards the Saurashtra batsman. Despite all of Rohit Sharma's talent, Laxman insists that the 29-year-old lacks self-belief in the longer format of the game.
Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut back in 2007, and he has made 148 appearances in the ODIs for India so far. However, despite his recent success in the shorter formats of the game, Sharma has struggled to carry on that form in the longer version. He has made just 17 appearances in Test matches so far, which is almost criminal given the talent he possesses and the fact that he was once hyped up to be the next big thing in Indian cricket.
VVS Laxman believes that Rohit Sharma has the "talent and ability to single-handedly win matches in any format" but given a choice, Laxman would opt for Cheteshwar Pujara in Test matches as he "merits his spot" in the team.
"Rohit has to get his gameplan right in Tests. You can see in ODIs or T20s, his consistency has a lot to do with the conviction with which he approaches each innings. He lacks that belief in the longer format.
"Given a choice, I would select Pujara. The number of runs he has made in the Duleep Trophy (453 runs in 3 innings at an average of 226.5) has made his inclusion a certainty. He is the perfect candidate to slot in at No. 3," Laxman said, reported TOI.
Laxman was also full of praise for India's latest sensation KL Rahul. The 41-year-old believes that he will “sneak” into the team ahead of Shikhar Dhawan.
"The amount KL Rahul has grown in stature over the past year is incredible. His entire body language has changed.
"I think it has a lot to do with Virat Kohli, whose positivity seems to have rubbed off on him since joining RCB in the IPL. I think he (Rahul) will sneak in ahead of Shikhar. He has been in such terrific form that it is essential to include him across all formats," Laxman added.
Laxman was part of an Indian team which used to dominate spinners all across the world. However, the recent team has, at times, struggled to manage consistent success against the turning ball. Laxman, though, feels that the root of this problem lies with the fact that the nation is not producing too many quality spinners
"When we were growing up, every domestic team had two or three quality spinners. Unfortunately, the country isn't producing as many spinners these days, so there is less opportunity to practice against quality spin. It has a lot to do with the amount of limited-overs cricket that we play these days, especially T20s. Improved bats and more powerful strikers mean any bowler who is scared to get hit becomes defensive.
"It's very important to ingrain in the spinners right from junior level that they should look to get wickets rather than wait for the batsman to commit a mistake. The common factor between all successful spinners around the world is their attitude, not technique," he explained, reported TOI.
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