'He needs to be little more selective while playing shots in Test cricket' - Vikram Rathour after Rohit Sharma gets out playing a pull shot at Lord's

India opener Rohit Sharma’s penchant for playing hook and pull shots has brought him success as well as his downfall too. On the fourth day of the Lord’s Test match versus England, Sharma could not resist playing a hook shot and was dismissed by Mark Wood for 21. It was a well-set plan from the England bowler to bang in short to Sharma.

In the first Test match too, Sharma was well set at 36, before he threw his wicket by playing the pull shot. India batting coach Vikram Rathour spoke about the senior stateman’s shot selection and told him to be a “little more selective”, especially when it comes to red-ball format. With the latest dismissal at Lord’s, Sharma fell to the short ball trap the fifth time in Test cricket.

“There will be analysis, of course, every time they get out, we will be having a talk, what happened and what they were thinking while batting or while they played that shot,” Rathour said at the virtual post-day press conference after the fourth day’s play.

“As far Rohit is concerned, I think he has made it clear that that is the shot which fetches him runs, that is the shot where he gets runs with, so he is going to play those shots and, we are backing him to play those shots, the only thing he needs to do is to be a little more selective, with what to play and when to play ”

Vikram Rathour feels Virat Kohli’s wicket was due to a lapse in concentration

India skipper Virat Kohli’s barren run continued as he was dismissed by Sam Curran for 20 runs. Kohli last scored a Test century in 2019 and, the doubts have started to creep into the minds of experts and critics. Rathour, however, feels Kohli’s dismissal was more to do with a lapse of concentration.

“Kohli, I don’t think there was any issue, it was just a lapse in concentration today, where his bat went to the ball, which he shouldn’t have played and nothing more, I don’t think anything old (is) coming back,” the batting coach said.

India will resume day five with four wickets remaining and a lead of 154 runs with Rishabh Pant and Ishant Sharma at the crease.