Rohit Sharma ideal batting partner for Kohli in Australia, feels Ian Chappell

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell thinks Rohit Sharma is an ideal batting partner for Indian captain Virat Kohli in Australia in the upcoming four-match Test series. The 75-year-old said it is so because the home team pacers will greet the visitors with a variety of short-pitched deliveries for the purpose of intimidation.

India will be looking to register their first-ever Test series victory on the Australian soil this time, particularly since the hosts have two key members – Steve Smith and David Warner – missing from their ranks because of a ban. Experts on either side have predicted an Indian win in this tour though Chappell felt that the hosts should not be underestimated in their own den.

Known to be one of the shrewdest captain the game has seen, Chappell felt India have the ability to come out as the winner if only they play consistently well throughout the series. It was then when he said that Rohit will be an ideal partner to his captain to tackle the Baggy Greens’ aggressiveness on the field.

Selection conundrum

“The Indian top three should be aware that the Australian pacemen will be seeking early scalps in order to get the redoubtable Virat Kohli in while the ball is still shiny. This leads to a selection conundrum. Do India bat the dogged Cheteshwar Pujara at three and hope he’ll wear the quickies down or do they gamble on Rohit Sharma who is technically well-equipped to tackle the short-pitched stuff aggressively?

Kohli showed on the last tour of Australia that he’s extremely adept at dealing with short-pitched deliveries but it would be of great benefit to provide him with an ally in this confrontation,” Chappell wrote in a column for HT.

Australia has a top-class bowling attack

Speaking of Australian bowling attack, Chappell said the home team still has a top-class attack headed by the three fast bowlers – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Patrick Cummins. He said given the fact that Australia’s batting depth has been hit by the absence of three players – Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft who has also been banned – the bowlers will be operating with more intensity to limit the Indian batsmen’s scoring.

India recently drew Australia 1-1 in a three-match T20I series after losing the first game closely. In Tests, however, India have never beaten Australia in a series on their soil and could only draw three series so far – the last being in 2003-04. The cricketing world will be eager to see if Kohli’s men can change the records this time although they have lost their last two overseas Test series.

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