Gautam Gambhir weighs in on Rohit Sharma’s immediate future in Test cricket
Rohit was once again included in India’s Test squad for the West Indies series, but Hanuma Vihari was preferred over him in the first Test at Antigua and the young man vindicated this decision with typically gritty Test knocks.
Despite being a prolific batsman in limited overs cricket, Rohit Sharma has not managed to nail down his spot in India’s Test side despite getting a number of chances. After a stellar World Cup campaign, Rohit was once again included in India’s Test squad for the West Indies series, but Hanuma Vihari was preferred over him in the first Test at Antigua and the young man vindicated this decision with typically gritty Test knocks.
Former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir believes that Rohit will now have to wait for his chance to stake a claim in the Indian middle-order as both Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane showed their pedigree in the first Test match at Antigua.
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“He (Rohit) has got to wait for his opportunity. There is Rahane, who has done well now and Vihari too. So he has to wait and when gets that opportunity, he needs to perform,” Gambhir told PTI.
An under pressure Rahane scored a timely 81 and 102, his first hundred in two years while Vihari made 32 and 93 as India romped to a 318-run victory.
“I am not at all surprised (with Rahane’s performance) but it was a much needed performance, both from individual and team’s point of view. And when it comes in a winning cause, it doesn’t get better than that,” said Gambhir, who played 58 Tests and 147 ODIs for India.
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After the match at Antigua, Virat Kohli too hailed Hanuma Vihari and said that the young man deserved this spot and that he was preferred over Rohit as he also offered more balance owing to his off spin. Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman also praised Vihari and said that he looked like his belonged in Test cricket after his steady knocks in Antigua.
“I was impressed with the way Hanuma Vihari approached his task. He batted freely without taking undue risks, and has looked like he belongs in Test cricket from the time he made his debut in England last year,” Laxman wrote in his column for Times of India.
