Why it is important for Team India to persist with Rohit Sharma in Test Cricket

The name Rohit Gurunath Sharma is an enigma for most cricket fans. One day he will tear into one of the best attacks in the world and on another day he will agonisingly throw his wicket away after seemingly getting set.

He is one of the most important batsmen for India and can truly produce some magnificent knocks when he’s playing in form. However, that has not been the case on a consistent basis.

Why Rohit is playing in this fashion, is a topic for another day. Now let’s see why it is important, in the long term, for our team management to stick with Rohit Sharma in the Test Match squad.

His selection in the squad hasn’t been met with universal acclaim

Questionable Selection for New Zealand series:

There was a huge outrage in social media after he was selected in the squad for the home test series against New Zealand. People questioned his form, technique and temperament to sustain in test cricket. They were right, but only partially.

They don’t know what confidence and support can do to him. Even those who doubt his game will accept that he is already an ODI superstar. But it was not the same a few years ago. He was inconsistent in the Blue jersey too.

Rohit Sharma has had his share of struggles

Struggled earlier in his ODI career:

Let’s go back to mid-2012, a bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka. Most people would have forgotten this tour, as it was an easy ride to victory for India. India dominated the hosts in all departments except the 2^nd ODI. Almost all Indian batsmen made merry in that tour except one man. He was none other than Rohit.

He scored only 13 runs in 5 matches. Fans were calling for his head. He was subject to vicious abuse. Some fans even went a step ahead to question Dhoni for sticking with him. After that series, he was not selected often in the line-up.

Rohit wasn’t done yet, however, let’s take a look at how his ODI career took a turn from there on.

Rohit Sharma was unsheathed by Dhoni as a top order batsman

2013 – Starting point of Rohit, the ODI monster:

Dhoni wanted him in the setup. After the continued failures of Rahane at the top order, he decided to open with Rohit in the final ODI. It was an instant success. He made a career-defining 80 odd. After that, as they say, the rest is history.

Period	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
Till 2012	81	1978	30.43	77.93
2013 Onwards	61	3030	56.11	89.61

He produced some magic moments like his 264 at Eden gardens and started winning the games for India in the blue jersey.

After he played another match winning innings in a crucial game against Bangladesh in the 2015 world cup quarter final, Dhoni mentioned that Rohit was a wasted talent in the middle order and that his talent as an opening batsman was now out for the world to see.

His run in the tests, however, still leaves a lot to be desired.

Rohit Sharma’s test performances have been less than satisfactory

Continuous failure in the whites:

He found himself in a similar situation in his test career is well. He was not a regular in the test line up after a special debut series. Even when he got few chances in between, he was unable to set the stage on fire.

His place was questioned by fans and Captain Kohli was also facing the heat for continuously backing him. Team management had two options. One was to carry on with Rohit or to search for another one to fill the middle order puzzle. But they have gone with the 1^st choice which is the obvious one in this case.

How did Rohit perform in the test matches against New Zealand? Let’s take a look.

Rohit Sharma dialed his performances up a notch

Golden opportunity not wasted:

Rohit was persisted and surprisingly played in all three test matches against New Zealand. He batted at the same position in all games. No shuffling this time around. In a make or break situation, he scored three important half centuries. That innings at Eden Gardens against all the odds is a special one to remember.

After that superlative knock, he became the second highest scorer in the 3^rd or 4^th innings of a test match for India in the last two years, only behind Rahane. Also, he started to score runs consistently this year.

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Redemption time in Test cricket:

Period	Innings	Runs	Average
Till 2015	29	896	33.18
2016 onwards	7	288	57.60

You can sense that a confident looking Rohit Sharma is started to repay the faith shown by the coach and the captain. He has now cemented his place in the squad, at least for this home season. Now it’s up to him to grab it with both hands and be a part of this famed Indian middle order for the years to come.

The time to witness Rohit Sharma dominating bowlers in Test cricket may just have arrived.

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Conclusion:

After looking at the way his ODI career was shaped, a Rohit Sharma with confidence and an assured place in the lineup can flourish under any situation against any opposition. Test Cricket is no exception, because the name is Rohit Gurunath Sharma!