'Rohit Sharma will need to...': Sunil Gavaskar issues clear cut advice for India captain ahead of Test series against England

Abhijeet Kumar Singh

UPDATED:Jan 21, 2024 20:47 IST

India skipper Rohit Sharma in action in this frame.

Highlights:

Sunil Gavaskar wants Rohit Sharma to use his bowlers cleverly in the Test series against England.

India and England are set to play a five-match Test series.

Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar is confident that Rohit Sharma can give India strong starts in their upcoming Test series against England. Following their two-match Test series in South Africa, India are preparing to host England for five Tests in the current ICC World Test Championship cycle. Rohit recently belted a blistering century in the third T20I against Afghanistan.

As India's captain, Rohit scored a record-breaking fifth century, playing an instrumental role in India's victory in the intense double Super Over match against Afghanistan. With a significant five-match Test series around the corner, Gavaskar is looking to Rohit to lead the team effectively. Reflecting on Rohit's exceptional performance in Chennai against England, the batting great believes Rohit will be crucial in supporting India's middle-order batters.

“Rohit, the batter, the manner in which he batted in the Chennai Test, he hit a hundred, and it was a very good hundred. He showed how to bat on spin-friendly pitches. If he continues to bat that way, India will definitely get a good start. And it can make No.3 and No. 4 batters' lives easily,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Rohit must tactically deploy his bowlers

Rohit's brigade is set to face England in the first Test of the series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on January 25. Ahead of this opening match in Hyderabad, Gavaskar offered some strategic advice to Rohit.

“As captain, Rohit Sharma will need to use his bowlers cleverly. Usually in Hyderabad, there is not enough turn on offer, so if England bats first and make a successful start till lunch, there we’ve to see how he uses his bowlers to judge him,” Gavaskar added.

Rohit's Home Test Performance Against England

Indian captain Rohit has amassed 747 runs in 9 home Tests against England, averaging nearly 50 (49.80). He has achieved two centuries and three fifties against Ben Stokes' team in India. In his overall Test career, Rohit has played 54 matches, scoring 3738 runs for India. When England last toured India for a four-match Test series, Rohit was the second-highest run-scorer, accumulating 345 runs at an average of 57.50. Notably, he scored a remarkable 161 runs in a match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Bashir,Dan Lawrence, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.

India's squad first two Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan