Rohit Sharma should go out and express himself in Australia: Sachin Tendulkar

Former batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar feels Rohit Sharma should go out and play his natural game in the Test series down under. Although Rohit has been in phenomenal form in limited-overs cricket, he hasn’t been able to translate the same in the longer format of the game.

The right-handed batsman has been given a recall for the Test squad to face Australia in their home soil in December. He was included for the series in South Africa earlier this year but got dropped after playing two Tests. As a result of his poor outing, he was left out for the Tests against England and the Windies.

Sachin Tendulkar believes that this is the opportunity that Rohit Sharma needs in order to resurrect his career in whites and he is yet to give his best in the format.

The master blaster, in his interview with India Today, said, “Rohit has played a couple of big innings in Test cricket but his away from home form is something he needs to work on. I’m sure he knows it, he realizes that. I think it’s wide open now because it’s a great platform and he can go out there and express himself. The Australian pitches where there is bounce and pace will suit Rohit’s style of play.”

The 45-year old had famously named Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to take over from him, the position of a mainstay batsmen post his retirement. Kohli, with his exquisite run of form, has certainly cemented his position as the backbone of the Indian batting line-up. He has an average of 60 in ODIs, nearly 55 in Test cricket, and is close enough to an average of 50 in the shortest format of the game. Along with this, Kohli’s scary form has threatened to surpass each of Tendulkar’s records which seemed unbreakable for most of the times.

Big opportunity for India

The upcoming Test series in Australia is not just an opportunity for Rohit and Kohli but also to crack the code to do something which no other Indian team has ever done.

Tendulkar signed off by saying, “Australia is not like the Australian teams I have been seen. They are rebuilding their side. Without Warner and Smith, it’s a big vacuum to fill for them. This is a great chance for India to grab that opportunity. I’m hoping that the team will travel well and do something we can be proud of.”

~ Written by Aayushman Vishwanathan