5 Reasons why Rohit Sharma should be in the Indian Test team for overseas tours

Rohit Sharma made most of the opportunity by scoring an unbeaten 102 in the second Test against Sri Lanka in November. Sharma was at his best and looked at ease, making a Test comeback almost after 500 days.

Sharma, in limited overs cricket, has been the mainstay of this Indian batting line-up and has scored tons of runs at the top of the order. Though he has been in and out of the Test team, he can create havoc in the opposition team if given a longer rope.

Considering impeding overseas tours in the future, here are the reasons why Rohit should be in the playing XI:

#5 Appetite for big runs

Rohit has two double-centuries in ODIs which shows his hunger for big runs

Sharma has the knack of converting hundreds into 'big daddy' centuries. He has 15 centuries to his name in ODIs, and most of them are 125 plus scores, which is remarkable in the shorter format of the game.

The Mumbai batsman is a part of an elite club of batsmen who have posted four-or-more scores of 150 plus in ODIs. The great Sachin Tendulkar, with a total of five 150 plus scores, holds the record for the same.

Rohit is the only batsmen to score two double centuries in ODIs, where some players don't have a double century even in Tests. His appetite for big hundreds is a good sign that indicates he can play long innings in Tests, which can be useful in overseas conditions.

#4 Good form and leadership

Rohit has been in great form this year, scoring 5 hundreds and 5 fifties in ODIs

In 2017, Sharma has scored 1076 runs in 18 matches at an average of 67.25. He became the second batsman after Kohli to slam five centuries in ODIs this year.

He continued his good form in Test and made most of the only opportunity he got this year, scoring a brilliant century against the Sri Lankans in Nagpur. To add icing to the cake, he would also be captaining the Indian side for the first time in the three-match ODI series that will start later this month.

So not only will his form be crucial in overseas Tests, but also his captaincy skills can be put to good use in the longest format of the game. Recently, Virat Kohli praised Sharma for his timely advice in the decider of T20 series against New Zealand, where he suggested Kohli to give Bumrah the second last over, which eventually resulted in India winning the series.

With his leadership skills and good form, Sharma can be a big asset to the Indian Test team in overseas conditions.

#3 Technique and skill

Rohit has opened the innings in ODIs where good technique is required to play against the new ball

Sharma is widely known for his sublime technique and plays extravagant shots when on song. He has all the time in the world when it comes to timing the ball.

He has a range of strokes and his ability to pick up the lengths, playing pull shots more often than not, can be useful on Australian and South African pitches, where there is extra bounce in the pitches. Rohit has shown that he is quite prepared to take on the short stuff, whereas most of the Indian batsmen struggle against short balls.

The Mumbai boy is extremely strong off the backfoot which allows him to ride the bounce of the ball particularly well as he braces up for a cut stroke or a backfoot punch. He plays the spinners well and takes the attack to them if required.

Sharma has already played few Tests in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa, which makes him a good candidate for the overseas conditions.

#2 Ability to play his natural game in all conditions

Rohit counterattacking style can play huge role in tricky situations

Sharma's strength lies in his natural game, which is taking the attack to the opposition. His ability to play attacking cricket in pressure situations can pay huge dividends on foreign pitches.

The classic example can be illustrated in the India Sri Lanka Test series in 2015 when it was leveled at 1-1. India were in a spot of bother when Sharma came to bat and were losing their way on 7 for 3 in the second innings.

Unfazed by the tricky situation and tough batting conditions, he followed his natural instinct to attack, and played small cameo scoring brilliant fifty, which gave India a substantial lead to defend. As a result, India won the series by 2-1 on Sri Lankan soil.

#1 Strengthening the fragile middle order

Recent form of Rahane is a concern for Indian middle order and Rohit can make it stronger

India need to have a strong middle order in the longest format of the game if they have to conquer the overseas conditions. Looking at the current situation, except for the top 4 batsmen, Indian middle order batting does not look great. They were completely exposed in the first Test played at Eden Gardens and the situation won't be any different on away tours.

Ajinkya Rahane's form has been worrying of late with a string of low scores like 4, 0 and 2 in two Tests. He was India's best overseas batsman last time around. It will be an uphill task for Ravi Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, and Ravindra Jadeja to tackle the Rabadas, Andersons, Starcs, and Boults on overseas tours.

India need a proper batsman at Number 6 and with his current form, Sharma is the perfect candidate for the position. His ability to play with the tail can be also helpful.

India need to be wary of the middle order collapses, which was the cause of concern in their last few overseas tours. India cannot take the risk of playing just 5 proper batsmen in overseas conditions. With the inconsistency and current form of the middle order, Sharma should be there in playing XI for the upcoming South Africa tour.