Rohit Sharma should stick to his natural game: K Srikkanth

Former chairman of the selection committee, K Srikkanth reckoned that Indian batsman Rohit Sharma should stick to his natural game. Rohit had a disappointing performance in both the innings played against England. The opening batsman could only score six in the first innings and 12 in the second. Overall, the Indian cricketer has scored 2288 runs with a healthy average of 44 in 35 Tests so far.

Rohit Sharma played in the 2020 Border-Gavaskar series after missing the ODI and T20 series. There was huge expectation that the seasoned Indian opener would perform his best as the series was levelled (1-1). However, Rohit went to score 26 followed by a half-century in the 2nd innings of the Sydney Test. 

Rohit Sharma is a class player and capable of posting a big score: K Srikkanth

Since his comeback in the Sydney Test, the batsman averages only 24.5 across his last six Test innings. This also includes the recently concluded first Test match against England, in Chennai. Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth supported the opening batsman and said that Sharma is a class player and believes he will bounce back if he sticks with his natural game. The 1983 World Cup-winning opener mentioned that once Rohit Sharma is set, he is capable of posting a huge score. Srikkanth opines that there is no need for Rohit to fiddle with his style of play.

Srikkanth and another former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad have also supported the class of Rohit and want him to perform in the upcoming matches. However, Gaekwad also indicated that the Mumbai Indians skipper must identify his weakness and rectify them to improve his game.

After the significant loss in the first Test, Rohit Sharma will be responsible for making the best use of the batting-friendly pitch in the second match. Being a senior player, Rohit will be anticipated to take more burden to avenge the first Test defeat and keep the team in contention for the World Test Championship final. Virat Kohli and Co. cannot afford to lose another game in the ongoing four-match Test series. Meanwhile, the second Test match between India and England will commence on Saturday, February 13, in Chennai. Following the second match, both the teams will then head to Ahmedabad for the remaining two Tests.

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