'He can counter-attack the Australian pacers' - Virat Kohli's childhood coach delighted with Rohit Sharma's inclusion in playing XI for SCG Test

Rohit Sharma is all set to make his much-anticipated return to Test cricket after being named in the playing eleven for the third Test against Australia. The match is scheduled to get underway on Thursday (January 7) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The opening batsman has replaced Mayank Agarwal in the playing eleven for the crucial game.

Rohit is also returning to international cricket after almost a year. The right-handed batsman last played for India on February 2 last year during the T20I series in New Zealand. He had sustained a calf injury during the match and went on to miss the subsequent ODI and the Test series against the Black Caps. In his absence, India were whitewashed in both the series.

As far as his last Test appearance is concerned, he last donned the Test whites in November 2019 when India hosted Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens for the historic day-night Test. All eyes will be on the senior batsman when he steps out on the field for the upcoming game. With Virat Kohli not available, the onus will be on him to deliver with the bat. The team-management has already made it clear that they have high hopes from him by naming him the vice-captain for the last two Tests.

“It will be a great boost”

Rajkumar Sharma, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, has reacted to Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the playing XI for the upcoming game. Sharma lauded the decision and also hailed Rohit as a great batsman. Sharma also highlighted Rohit’s ability to play the pull or hook shots better than his teammates.

“It will be a great boost with the addition of Rohit Sharma as he is a great batsman. No one plays the hook or pull shot better than him in the team. He can counter-attack the Australian pacers with the new ball,” he said as quoted by Times Now.

Sharma also talked about Delhi pacer Navdeep Singh who will make his debut in the SCG Test. The right-arm pacer has replaced injured Umesh Yadav in the playing eleven. He got the nod ahead of Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan for the penultimate game of the four-match series. Sharma, who was recently appointed as Delhi’s head coach, spoke on why Navdeep got the nod ahead of Shardul and Natarajan and was hopeful of a good performance from him.

“Navdeep Saini has an edge over Shardul and Natarajan as he can bowl consistently above 140 kmph. He hits the right area and the biggest advantage of having him is that he can bowl long spells. He has done that in the past in Ranji season. I’m hopeful that he will grab the opportunity,” he said.