Veteran India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh expects Rohit Sharma to flourish in the upcoming Test series against Australia, starting December 17 at the Adelaide Oval.
Terming Rohit as a quality player for Team India, Harbhajan said if the former stays at the crease for 5 overs at the start and sees off the new ball then getting him out will become very difficult for the hosts.
Rohit proved his mettle as a Test opener last year as he aggregated 529 runs in three-match home series against South Africa, including back-to-back hundreds in Vizag and a double ton in Ranchi.
"Rohit Sharma is a quality player. Expectations from him will be high, fans will be hoping he scores as many runs in Australia as he did in Test cricket as opener on home soil in the recent past.
"If he stays at the crease for the first 5 overs then dismissing him or even stopping him becomes very difficult because he is a very dangerous player. He cuts and pulls well, drives the ball well and even his backfoot play is also very good. Scoring runs in Australia shouldn't be too difficult for a batsman like Rohit," Harbhajan told Sports Tak.
Rohit is recovering from a hamstring injury which he sustained last month while playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
Harbhajan hopes the MI skipper gets fit in time for the marquee Test series and starts firing from the first game itself.
"Facing the new ball will be important, if he plays it well then India can expect quick runs from Rohit's bat, just like Virender Sehwag did for the team as opener. Rohit is a very important player for the team and I hope he gets fit in time for the first Test," he remarked.
The battle for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kick-start with the pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval on December 17. Melbourne will host the second Test from December 26 while the third and fourth Tests will be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7-11) and Brisbane's Gabba (January 15-19), respectively.
