Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on the opening batsman Rohit Sharma for the way he brilliantly made the adjustments and played accordingly in the second Test against England at Lord’s.
Rohit (83) added a record century partnership with KL Rahul at Lord’s and Gavaskar was highly impressed with the application shown by the experienced batsman without fearing about the pitch and gave India a cracking start against England, saying this is a mental thing.
The opener might have missed his maiden overseas Test century at Lord’s, but former Indian captain said the fans will certainly see the hundred from Rohit’s bat soon in the ongoing five-match Test series in England, insisting getting a century at Lord's isn’t everything and his bigger contributions matter most.
Gavaskar said on Sony Sports Network: “In a five-day Test match, no one has an idea as to how the pitch will behave on the first day – things like whether there is life on this pitch, will the ball bounce more? For that, you need some time and the adjustment Rohit showed in the first innings, how to do it.”
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The former batsman added, “He did it brilliantly – what shots to play and what not. Just see how many balls he left, some of them close to the off stump. This adjustment is mental and that is what Rohit accomplished. And this is what gives us hope from a player.”
He also admitted that missing out on the century at Lord’s would be certainly disappointing for Rohit, but said if the opener can continue scoring runs the way he is, there would be no bigger contribution he can deliver for India than scoring valuable runs and giving a great start to his team.
Gavaskar opined, “If you get a player who can guarantee score 80 runs, then in a five-Test series, he would end up with 400-450 runs. What else does a captain need? Yes, he would be disappointed not scoring a century, but getting a century at Lords isn’t everything.”
He signed off by saying, “You score a century at Trent Bridge or Leeds… if you score a century for India in whichever part of the world, that is what is important. And the way he is batting, the time he has, and the position in which he gets himself in, it feels as if a century is just around the corner.”
