IND vs AUS Test: Out of Form Rohit Sharma not a concern for India: Sanjay Manjrekar

IND vs AUS Test: Out of Form Rohit Sharma not a concern for India: Team India will once again be back in international action after a period of a little more than two months. India will straightaway head to the longest format game following the successful completion of the Tata IPL 2023. Rohit Sharma and Co will lock horns against Australia in the final of the ICC World Test Championship at the Oval in London.

Team India has claimed the final spot of the ICC World Test Championship for the second consecutive time and they will be eying to go past the horrors of the 2021 ICC WTC Final to bag the ICC glory. India was beaten by New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the ICC WTC Final in 2021.

Talking about the team news, there are a number of concerns in the Indian squad. The injuries have alone posed a major threat to the team. Furthermore, the form of a couple of players will also be a concern for the management, one of them will be skipper Rohit Sharma.

Rohit hasn’t had the best of times in the recently concluded Tata IPL 2023 where he could only score 332 runs at an average of 20.75 which included just two half-centuries.

However, brushing aside Rohit Sharma’s batting woes in the IPL 2023, renowned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar reckons Indian management won’t be a lot bothered with the form of the Indian skipper. Manjrekar insisted that at this point of his career, Rohit finds comfort in Test cricket more than in any other format of the game.

“Keep his IPL form aside because he looked out of form in the last IPL as well… we saw the amazing batting he did in the first Test match against Australia. I believe the stage of his career Rohit Sharma is in, Test cricket seems to be the most exciting format for him just like it has always been for Virat Kohli,” Manjrekar told Star Sports.

The former Indian cricketer added that Rohit’s batting in the longest format of the game has become impeccable with time, however, he pointed out the area that has troubled him a bit. Pull Shot, which has been the most rewarded shot for Rohit Sharma, has evidently trapped him multiple times in test cricket.

“His batting has become almost faultless in Test cricket at the moment. There is just one problem we have seen in Test matches – he gets out while playing the pull shot at times. They have bowled him a short ball and kept a fielder there. That is an instinctive shot.”

Sanjay Manjrekar explained how Rohit Sharma uses his follow-through to power the pull shot which has been his potent weapon to tackle the short deliveries against the pacers.

“If you see in ODI cricket, his pull shot is extremely interesting. His back lift doesn’t come from the top, so that he can play the ball down. He has a very low back lift, he just picks up the ball and the bat then goes behind his back in the follow-through to give the power,” said Manjrekar.

The IND vs AUS fixture in the ICC WTC Final is slated to begin on June 7 at the Kennington Oval in London. The two sides are gearing up nicely to the build-up for the marquee event, which is just a week away.

ALSO READ: ICC WTC Final: Boost for India as Australia’s Poor Record at Oval Pose a Threat

For more details head to ICC’s official website.