India vs Australia | Rohit Sharma can be Virat Kohli’s partner in crime, says Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell believes that Rohit Sharma is the ideal batting partner for Virat Kohli against an Australian team that will shower the Indians with a variety of short-pitched deliveries in four-match Test series. Chappell reiterated that the Aussies should not be underestimated on home turf.
India face a tough challenge ahead of them as they aim to pull off a rare series win on Australian soil in the coming months, starting with the four-match Test series on December 6 in Adelaide. The visitors will enter the series as favorites after having drawn the T20I series 1-1 while the home team will certainly miss the services of the of Steven Smith and David Warner.
Former Australian captain, Ian Chappell, highlighted that India have the ability to beat the Aussies provided they display consistency across the four matches. He also added that Rohit Sharma will be the ideal ally Virat Kohli needs in order to tackle the aggressive Australian bowling unit.
“The Indian top three should be aware that the Australian pacemen will be seeking early scalps in order to get the redoubtable Virat Kohli in while the ball is still shiny. This leads to a selection conundrum. Do India bat the dogged Cheteshwar Pujara at three and hope he’ll wear the quickies down or do they gamble on Rohit Sharma who is technically well-equipped to tackle the short-pitched stuff aggressively? Kohli showed on the last tour of Australia that he’s extremely adept at dealing with short-pitched deliveries but it would be of great benefit to provide him with an ally in this confrontation,” Chappell wrote in his column for HT.
Chappell, whose brother was coach of the Indian team in the past, also added that the bowling attack, led by Mitchell Starc, will be keen to prove to the visitors that they are still champions when it comes to playing at home.
“Australia should not be under-estimated; they have a top-class attack, headed by three excellent fast bowlers in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Patrick Cummins. As a result of three suspensions Australia will field a depleted batting line-up, which means their bowlers will be even more determined to limit the opposition’s scoring,” he added.
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