Rohit must stick to his strengths, rather than changing his game according to Tests, says Nayan Mongia
Nayan Mongia, who knows a thing or two about being a makeshift opener, has stated that Rohit Sharma must stick to his strengths rather than change his game according to Tests. Mongia further added that Test requires a massive adjustment in mindset and an original opener would have been better.
In the first-ever Border-Gavaskar Trophy match, Mongia was asked to continue opening and he responded with a career-best 152 and the Man of the Match award. Originally a middle-order batsman, Mongia fell apart after that and never picked up to become a stable force in Test cricket before he suffered the axe. In the wake of India promoting Rohit Sharma up top, Mongia saw a glimpse of the past and is not happy with the move. He suggested that India could have given one of the domestic performers a go so as to reward their talent.
"Opening is a specialized job, like 'keeping. He's been opening in limited-overs cricket, but Test cricket requires a massive adjustment in mindset. Unless, of course, he decides to stick to what he does in limited-overs cricket - go for the ball. He must stick to his strengths, rather than change his game according to Test cricket. If he does that, it may affect his limited-overs game," Mongia told TOI.
"Why not give chances to those who've scored 1,000-800 runs in a season as an opener? The likes of Panchal and Easwaran are averaging 50-60 in domestic cricket. When are they going to get a chance? It's demotivating for them," he added.
As a matter of fact, Rohit has scored 1,585 runs at an average of 39.62 with three hundreds and 10 fifties but never able to settle his place in the squad. He was tried at No.3, No.4, No.5 but everything fell apart because he never got the long rope that many of his teammates have enjoyed. With the opening being his new position in Test cricket, this could be the Rohit's last chance in Tests. On being asked about it, another make-shift Indian opener Parthiv Patel backed the move.
"In Indian conditions, the best place to bat in Test cricket is in the opening position. The ball doesn't move much. It comes at a good height. The teams are always attacking, so your chances to score increase," Parthiv said.
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