Rohit must unleash A Game at one-drop

Rohit Sharma, his deputy Jasprit Bumrah (left) and head coach Gautam Gambhir at the MCG yesterday. Pic/AFP

After winning the first Test match at Perth, Australia without Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah led from the front. Rightly so, as in cricket, the leader must show the way. The responsibility of attacking the opponent falls on the leader, and Bumrah executed this role perfectly.

Rohit Sharma joined the team for the second Test match at Adelaide played under lights with the pink ball. He faced a dilemma: Where to bat to best showcase the potential we all believe he possesses. I recall coaching a zonal team in 2006 when Rohit, fresh from the Under-19 World Cup along with Ravindra Jadeja, came into the side. In a game at Gwalior, he batted at No.6 with Jadeja at No. 7. The way Rohit batted convinced me of his talent. In the next match at Udaipur, I requested Parthiv Patel to have Rohit bat at No. 3. In that game, he displayed a wide range of shots and exquisite timing, sending the ball repeatedly past the boundary with ease. He scored a magnificent 150 at one-drop, handling the bowlers like a class player. I remember calling Kiran More, the chairman of selectors at the time (and my roommate on the 1982-83 West Indies tour), to share what I had witnessed. It was that talent which led to Rohit playing international cricket before even making a major mark in first-class cricket. Many former Test cricketers feel that Rohit has underperformed in the longest format.

After watching him in the ongoing Test series, I noticed that he often got out to short deliveries. The Australian bowlers were smart in pitching the ball on a good length, frequently inducing edges behind the stumps. Currently, Rohit uses a trigger movement where his back foot moves back and across, and his front foot opens slightly so that it aligns with leg-middle stump as the ball is released. While this technique helps him move onto the back foot more easily, it also causes his weight to settle on his front foot, which limits his ability to stride forward and meet the ball close to its pitch. To address this, I would suggest that he delay his back-foot trigger movement slightly. By doing so, he would be able to move forward with a bigger stride when needed to negate any deviation of the ball of the pitch and also place himself in a better position to play both defensive and attacking back-foot strokes.

I would also recommend batting him at No. 3 with Virat at four, Gill at five and Rishabh Pant at six, followed by the others. By stepping in at No. 3, Rohit can show his intent and take on the opposition right from the start. This assertive approach could inspire his teammates - especially considering the pressure of a Boxing Day Test match.

I know a Boxing Day Test has nothing to do with the sport of boxing, but let Rohit box the Australians straight away!

The author was part of India's 1983 ODI World Cup-winning team.