Trying his hand as an opener in the ongoing India-South Africa series, Rohit Sharma already has two tons in his kitty in the new role. Ahead of the Ranchi Test versus South Africa in Ranchi, from October 19 (Saturday), former West Indies great and skipper Brian Lara was all praise for Rohit as a player across formats.
With words of encouragement coming from someone of Lara’s stature, the 32-year-old Rohit will be eager to get going in the final Test and make a bigger statement against hapless Proteas line-up.
During the launch Road Safety World Series – a tournament where he will be seen leading the West indies legends side, Lara told PTI, “I think that Rohit is an awesome player in all formats of the game. Obviously, in the limited-overs game, he’s been very successful. I don’t see any reason why he should not be in Test cricket. It seems that he has the passion to play and wants to prove himself on that stage (Test cricket) as well.
“To exclude a player like that (from the Test team) will be very difficult, with the talent that I see. So, hopefully, he will be successful. He is a gifted batsman,” stated the 50-year-old.
After years of struggle in the middle-order, Rohit was promoted up the order ahead of the home series versus South Africa. In his first outing as an opener, he became the first batsman to score consecutive tons in a Test. While he missed out in the second and penultimate Test in Pune, the right-hander will look to make amends in the dead rubber in Ranchi, with the series already in India’s kitty (2-0).
