He has earned a spot in India’s Test squad, but with plenty of other young India batsmen knocking on the door, Rohit Sharma knows he needs to make opportunities count
Nagraj Gollapudi18-Nov-2011On May 31, 2011 Duncan Fletcher met Rohit Sharma for the first time. Fletcher’s opening words to him were: “I want to see you play for India in a Test match because I have heard so many things about you. It is very unfortunate that you have still not played a Test match.” Rohit narrates this shortly before the start of the second day’s play in Mumbai and Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy match at the Brabourne stadium.Now, Rohit is one step closer to fulfilling his dream of playing in a Test. On Thursday, he was drafted into the India squad in place of Yuvraj Singh for the third Test against West Indies, starting in Mumbai from November 22. It was an unexpected call-up. Rohit expected to be selected for the five-match ODI series, starting at the end of the month, and he wanted to focus on playing for Mumbai till then.”My plan was to play at least four to five Ranji matches, perform, score a lot of runs and then perform well in the ODI series against West Indies. I thought if I perform consistently I would stand a chance of going to Australia.”This is the third time Rohit will be part of India’s Test squad: the first was in 2008 in Sri Lanka, and the next was when he was called up as back-up for VVS Laxman for the Nagpur Test against South Africa in February 2010. In Sri Lanka he was a rookie but against South Africa he was set to make his Test debut before he turned his ankle while playing football on the morning of the match.Even though he was one of the IPL’s brightest stars, Rohit had to return to the barren lands of domestic cricket and wait in hope for the next Test call-up. He did not brood too much about what might have been. He finished the 2009-10 Ranji season with 527 runs at an average of 87.83. His unbeaten 309 against Gujarat came off 322 balls, 28 more deliveries than he had faced in the whole of the 2007-08 season. Last season he improved his aggregate to 732 runs in six matches at 122, with a highest score of 200 not out.Equally impressive were his ODI statistics in the period after the twisted ankle in Nagpur. Between February 2010 and now, Rohit has averaged 57.84 at Nos. 4 and 5. This is third behind Michael Clarke and AB de Villiers for these positions (minimum 750 runs). He also has the fourth-best average in the same period among Indian batsmen. In the West Indies he was the top run-maker in the five-match ODI series. He then sustained a freak finger injury early in the one-day series in England.The selectors had their eye on him, and Surendra Bhave, a member of the national selection panel, watched his century against Rajasthan, Mumbai’s second-round opponents this season, closely. It was Rohit’s second hundred in as many matches, following a match-winning 175 against Railways on a tricky pitch where the bounce was uneven and not many batsmen were comfortable.”Since Nagpur I have been trying to get into the Test squad, [and now] I am happy to be included,” Rohit says. He believes his form in the West Indies and the Ranji hundreds “must have done the trick for me.”There seem, though, to remain a few creases in his batting and mindset that need to be ironed out. Against Rajasthan, three balls after getting his century, Rohit tried to clear the in-field and was caught at mid-off. He admits now it was irresponsible.”I was disappointed. I was in good flow and we were chasing 530; facing runs on the board always make it difficult. My plan was to go after the bowlers, and although that shot was not required that is how I play my game. It was a nice pitch to bat on, the ball was coming on to the bat and it suited my batting, and they only had four bowlers. So I thought why not put them under pressure? That was my gameplan but it did not work out.”In his chats with Fletcher, one of the most valuable tips he has received has been about mental discipline. “He spoke about how to build an innings, especially in Test cricket,” Rohit says. “He spoke about the kind of temperament needed to play Test cricket. He said even if you are not 100 % correct in technique, if you are mentally strong and you show the right character you are bound to succeed.”He says Fletcher and MS Dhoni, the India captain, want him to prove his Test credentials by playing longer innings in one-day cricket. “Their message to me is even if I play 70 balls I will still score 60 runs. I usually bat at Nos. 5, 6, 7, and come to the crease around the 35-over mark. When you bat in those positions character is very important. If you do not show the right character and lose your focus there are obstacles which come in your way. I need to be calm in situations where I have to play my shots but not take too many chances.”The most important thing, he reckons, that has changed in the time after the injury in Nagpur is that he has learned game. “I have become more mature.” After the 175 against Railways, people told him they had never seen him bat like that.Rohit is aware that in Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina he has strong and talented competition. “If I play the Test, this or any other, I will play as if it is my last Test match. I have to think in that fashion. There is a lot of competition for that one spot. I do not want to miss out on it now. I do not want to give it easily to anyone.”
