Team India is in a delicate situation going into day 5 of the ongoing third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Both their openers, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma, are back in the hut with the score at 98/2. They now need 309 runs on the final day with eight, probably seven, wickets in hand.
Former Indian player Sanjay Manjrekar believes that the wicket of Rohit Sharma has taken the slight chance of an Indian victory away as he was one who could take the team home with quick runs.
Sanjay Manjrekar told Sony Sports Network, "With Rohit Sharma around, there was the slightest possibility of India getting to the target. With Virat Kohli not there, the onus was on Rohit Sharma. So that (Wicket) takes out the little hope of winning the game. If Virat Kohli were there, maybe Australians would have declared 30-40 runs later. Rohit Sharma’s dismissal takes out that glimmer of hope."
He also heaped praise on India's two-Test-old opener Shubman Gill, who top-scored in the first innings with a half-century and scored 31 runs in the second innings, which is his lowest score in the longest format so far.
Manjrekar said, "Yes (India has found a good opening pair in Tests), we have got two very easy on the eye-opening batsmen. Rohit Sharma showed a good temperament. When the ball starts swinging in England, what he will do, we will come to that on another day."
"With Shubman Gill, we saw another trait of him, the defensive block, he can do that as well with a lot of calmness. He can be positive in defense also. It was a very good opening partnership. Unfortunately, India lost both their opening batsmen," he added.
