'He has definitely gone a notch higher' - Sachin Tendulkar lauds Rohit Sharma’s batting against England

Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was lavish in praise of India opener Rohit Sharma for his knocks versus England in the seam and swing conditions. In the two Test matches so far, the right-hand batter has scores of 36 12, 83, and 21. In the second match at Lord’s, Sharma formed a crucial partnership with KL Rahul and was saw off the new ball. The 34-year-old batter’s knock laid out the foundation for the middle-order batters and allowed India to post a score of above 350.

Before coming to England tour, there were questions raised over Sharma’s run-scoring ability in the overseas conditions. All his seven centuries have come in India and there was severe criticism attached that Sharma is failing to convert his start into something substantial in abroad matches. In the first innings of the Trent Bridge too he, got a start but was out when he pulled a short ball.

Sharma quickly made amends in the second Test as he scored 83 and silenced his doubters for time being. Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was impressed with how the opener batted and felt he defended the ball well. “(From) whatever I have seen, I feel, he has taken the lead, and he has shown the other side of his temperament and how he can change his game and adapt to the situation and play accordingly,” Sachin was quoted as saying by Times Now.

Sachin Tendulkar feels Rohit Sharma’s batting in Tests has gone a notch higher

Sharma, along with KL Rahul, has been good at the top for India, and Tendulkar said the 34-year-old has played a perfect supporting role to Rahul. Tendulkar concluded by saying that Sharma’s performance so far in England has been top-notch.

“He has been a leader there and, KL (Rahul) has supported him brilliantly. As far as playing pull shot is concerned (which got him out in the first innings at Lord’s), he has cleared the fence with that shot and, I am looking at what he has been able to achieve for the team in both Tests. Rohit has left the ball and defended the ball brilliantly or equally well. He was always a fantastic player but seeing his last few innings in England, I can say he has definitely gone a notch higher,” he added.