India vs South Africa: VVS Laxman Hopes Rohit Sharma Won't Make Same Mistakes He Did As Test Opener

Rohit Sharma is set to open the innings for India in their upcoming Test series against South Africa. While he has played in the middle-order for India in red-ball cricket, mostly at No. 6, the right-hander will be given a chance to impress at the top of the order against South Africa for the first time. While Rohit Sharma is a prolific opener in the shorter formats, this is going to be a new challenge for him. Former India batsman VVS Laxman, who was also made to open in Tests early in his career after having started out as a middle-order batsman, feels that Rohit Sharma has it in him to excel as a Test opener if he does not meddle too much with his technique and mindset.

Speaking to former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupa on his YouTube show "Deep Point", Laxman said, "I believe that the mistake I made was changing my mindset which got me great success batting in the middle order, whether it was at number 3 or number 4".

He said that the change in batting position also saw him try and change his technique.

"As a middle-order batsman, I was someone who was having a front press and I would go towards the ball," he said.

But after consulting senior players, former openers and his coaches, he was convinced that in order to do well against formidable fast bowlers, he had to make an adjustment in his technique.

"I was playing against fast bowlers like Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, who could generate steep bounce from good length, so I started going back and across," Laxman said.

"There was a huge change in my approach and my batting," he said, adding that he hoped Rohit Sharma would not follow suit.

Laxman said that while there was a need for more mental discipline while facing the new ball, too many changes to your natural game would only hamper your performance.

"As an opener, you need to have more mental discipline, like leaving balls outside the off-stump, but if you make too many changes to your natural game, results won't go your way," he said.

Laxman started the show saying that the biggest advantage Rohit Sharma has, going into his new role as an opener, is experience. "I opened after playing 4 tests. He has had 12 years of international cricket. He is more matured and he is in good form," Laxman said on Rohit facing a similar challenge as he did.

"Rohit wants to play Test cricket and with Ajinkya (Rahane) and (Hanuma) Vihari at numbers five and six Rohit knows that his chance to do well is as an opener. He should take this positively. He has nothing to lose. For a class player like him, it is better than sitting in the bench. He has to be in that playing XI," he concluded.

Rohit Sharma opened for the Indian Board President's XI in the practice game against South Africa and was dismissed for a duck in the first innings.

Topics mentioned in this article

India vs South Africa, 2019 Rohit Sharma VVS Laxman Cricket