India opener Rohit Sharma has succeeded as an opener since taking up that mantle in 2019. Rohit has thrived in this role, scoring daddy hundreds at home and playing useful knocks overseas. In Tests, Rohit has managed to control his penchant for playing extravagant shots.
During the second Test match against England at Lord’s however, Rohit played a fine knock of 83, his highest Test score overseas. He missed the chance to go up on the Lord’s honors board as he was castled by James Anderson.
Talking about the same with Dinesh Karthik, Rohit said that while he was disappointed to miss out on the three-figure mark, there wasn’t much he could do to that brilliant delivery from Anderson.
"I am a little disappointed not to get to that three-figure mark but again, I saw the replay probably 20 times and I couldn’t have done anything to that ball. What matters is the position the team is in because it’s not about individuals. Your personal records can take a backseat but this is a team sport. Anything you do and it helps the team, I am happy with it," Rohit said.
Rohit mentioned that he liked the way he batted here- taking a more cautious and circumspect approach, and although it’s against his nature, the India opener relishes the challenge of batting in the arduous Test cricket.
"That’s Test cricket, you can’t bring out your flashy drives especially when the weather conditions are like that. You need to understand that and the experience that I have, I need to apply that. It was testing in the middle so all your basics of Test cricket come into play, things like playing with soft hands and leaving balls outside off. It is against my nature but I loved it. Honestly speaking, I loved doing that," Rohit added.
