Rohit Sharma: From A Mediocre Test Batter To A Brilliant Opener

Despite his immense talent and potential, Rohit Sharma's ODI numbers were nothing more than ordinary for a third of his career. He had just scored 1978 runs in 81 innings at an average of 30.43 and strike rate of 77.9 with two hundreds and 12 fifties. Nothing to write home about! 23rd January, 2013, India vs England, 4th ODI, Mohali: Rohit Sharma was sent up the order to open the innings for India. He had batted as an opener three times before in 2011 but that was more of a temporary role than a motivated push. Rohit hammered a fine 83 off 93 deliveries and helped India chase down the 258-run target set by England. That innings changed something in Rohit – the ODI batter. He never looked back. India had unearthed a new star at the top the order. Since the start of 2013, Rohit – the ODI opener has amassed 8807 runs in 173 innings at a staggering average of 56.45 and strike rate of 96.29 with 29 hundreds and 44 fifties. He is widely regarded as amongst the greatest ODI openers of all-time. Fast forward to 2019.

He was already an all-time great in limited-overs cricket. He had piled on 8686 runs in ODIs in 211 innings at an average of 48.5 with 27 hundreds. He had broken innumerable records in the 2019 World Cup in England blasting 648 runs in just nine innings which included five tons! His T20I numbers were also astonishing. Only Virat Kohli had a higher aggregate and no one had registered more centuries than his four in the format. Despite these colossal feats in white-ball cricket, Rohit Sharma had struggled to make a name for himself in Test cricket as these stats suggest. 

THE STRUGGLE IN TEST CRICKET 

Rohit's numbers in Test cricket were below par for the first 27 Tests of his career - 1585 runs in 27 matches at an average of 39.6 with three hundreds and 10 fifties. Though he had started off magnificently recording two hundreds in his first two appearances in the format, Rohit had failed to live up to expectations thereafter and his future in red-ball cricket looked uncertain. He had failed in 13 of the 27 Tests he played for India from his debut in November, 2013 till the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in 2018. Rohit's overall average also got a bit skewed from his performances at home. While his numbers in India were quite impressive – 769 runs in nine matches at an average of 85.4 with three hundreds and five fifties, the real yardstick for judging any batter has always been his performances overseas, outside their comfort zone and this is where Rohit had failed miserably. He had played a majority of his Test cricket outside the country where he had massively under-performed! 

He had an aggregate of just 816 runs in 18 away Tests from at a paltry average of 26.3 with five fifties but no century. His returns in 2018 were poor and he was treading a thin rope in Test cricket. He could muster just 184 runs in eight overseas innings at an average of 26.28 with just one fifty in the calendar year. Time was running out for Rohit – the Test batter. There were calls to drop him from the team. 

MASTERSTROKE 2.0 – BIRTH OF ROHIT THE TEST OPENER 

India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Vizag, October 2-6, 2019: Rohit Sharma is pushed up the order to open the innings for the very first time in Test cricket. 

It is his last chance to make a mark in the format. Rohit grabs the opportunity with both hands and smashes not one but two hundreds in the match – his 176 off 244 balls in the first innings is followed by 127 off 149 in the second! Only five other Indians had achieved this unique feat of registering a ton in each innings of a Test – Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane! India thrash South Africa by 203 runs. The performance transforms Rohit – the Test batter. For the second time in his cricketing career, the decision to push Rohit to open the innings turns out to be a masterstroke! Rohit emerges as a genuine match-winner for India at the top of the order. Since the Vizag Test, Rohit's Test numbers have been on the upward swing. He has scored 2563 runs in 34 matches at an average of 48.35 including nine hundreds (including a double hundred) and seven fifties.

Only Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka has scored more runs than Rohit as Test opener since October, 2019. Rohit's nine tons are also the most for any opening batter in this time-frame and his average places him at number 4 amongst the 18 openers who have scored a minimum of 1000 runs during this period. 

THE CHANGE IN OVERSEAS FORTUNES 

Rohit has played 22 Tests in his avatar as opener in India and scored 1644 runs at an average of 51.37 which include seven hundreds and two fifties. A big feature of his batting has been his strike rate and the intent he has shown against the new ball. Rohit – the opener - has a strike rate of 65.16 at home which showcases his aggressive mindset. Not only is he taking the shine off the new ball and breaking the spirit of the opposition bowlers but also leaving enough time for the Indian bowlers to get the opposition out twice – something which Virender Sehwag did brilliantly for the country in the 2000s. Rohit's highest impact knock in this time-frame came against England in the second Test in Chennai in 2021. India were 0-1 down in the series and had their back against the wall on a treacherous wicket at Chepauk. 

Almost every other Indian batter struggled in the conditions but Rohit counter-attacked smashing a brilliant 161 off just 231 deliveries taking India to a 300-plus total and a position of ascendancy. It is widely rated as amongst the greatest knocks by any batter in the sub-continent. The real transformation, however, was seen in his overseas performances. Since the beginning of 2021, Rohit has an aggregate of 919 runs in just 12 Tests at an average of 43.76 with two hundreds and five fifties outside India. He combined with Shubman Gill to give India a solid start in both innings at the SCG before scoring a brisk 44 in the first innings in Brisbane – thus playing his part in the historic triumph in 2021! Rohit's 83 and his century opening stand with KL Rahul was a major contributing factor in India's massive victory at Lord's in the English Summer. He then registered his first overseas Test ton in the fourth Test at The Oval where his brilliant 127 in the second innings helped India to draw the series level at 2-2. Rohit went on to score another overseas hundred a couple of years later – against the West Indies at Roseau. 

INDIA'S HIGHEST RUN-GETTER IN TESTS SINCE OCT 2019

The Big 3 – Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane – were going through a major slump between 2020 and 2021. Rohit rose to the occasion for India and scored tough runs in this difficult period for Indian batting in Test cricket. Rohit has a better batting average than Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant since he moved to his new avatar as opener. No Indian batter has scored more runs than Rohit in his time-frame and neither has any one registered more hundreds than his nine. Rohit is rated as amongst the best Test openers in the world today. He is an impact player and a match-winner for India at the top of the order. Those two days in Mohali and Vizag, almost seven years apart, changed his life forever!

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