Rohit Sharma's success as Test opener vital

Rohit Sharma walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket for 21 runs on the fourth day of the second cricket Test match between England and India at Lord`s. Pic/ AFP

If MS Dhoni's masterstroke to promote Rohit Sharma as an opener in limited-overs cricket transformed his batting, skipper Virat Kohli's decision to let the Mumbai batsman open in Test cricket has rebooted his career in the longer format.

Piling up 1,246 runs in just 23 innings at a stupendous average of 59.33 which includes four centuries and three fifties, Rohit has proved that he is an all-format cricketer.

That Rohit has mastered the patience game was evident when he and his opening partner KL Rahul negated overcast conditions at Lord's after put in to bat in the second Test. The duo put on a 126-run stand to lay the foundation for a healthy first innings total. Rohit scored 83 while Rahul went on to score 129 to get his name on the Lord's honours board.

Former chief selector MSK Prasad, who played a pivotal role in building India's bench strength during his tenure, felt Rohit's promotion to the top has brought much-needed calmness to the Test team.

"Ever since Rohit has come in, there is calmness in our top order. And that is also rubbing off on the middle and lower order," Prasad told mid-day.com following India's 151-run win at cricket's spiritual venue.

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar rightly pointed out during the post-match discussion on Sony Sports Network that India won because the batsmen have scored runs unlike on the previous two tours to England.

Prasad too highlighted the importance of getting a good start from the openers consistently.

"Slowly, we are getting over that because of the wonderful partnerships we are getting from Rohit and Rahul. This time around even our bowlers are able to dismiss the tailenders early unlike in the 2018 series," observed the former India stumper.

Rohit began his new role as Test opener by slamming 176 and 127 against South Africa in 2019 on home soil. In the third Test of the SA series, Rohit cracked a double ton at Ranchi, the hometown of Dhoni, who first believed in him as an opener.

Earlier, this year, in February, Rohit scored a masterly 161 on a rank turner at Chennai during the second Test against England.

This England tour is seen as an acid test of Rohit's ability to score overseas. And early glimpses indicate that he is going to make it count this time.

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