Rohit Sharma’s elevation to the role of opener in the Indian team was far from a coincidence. In a rather unconventional twist, it was about him feeling ‘bored’ while batting in the middle order during 2019 that prompted then-head coach Ravi Shastri to make a decisive change.
Recognising the untapped potential, Shastri entrusted Rohit with the responsibility of opening the innings, that ultimately gave rise to his iconic ‘Hitman’ persona.
“Batting at four, five, this guy used to get bored. Then I started dwelling on the fact, why is he so successful in one-day cricket? He likes to be out there early,” Shastri said in the ICC Review.
“I said, if he can go out there and do it, he has got enough time on his hands to play the quicks. He`s got the shots against the quicks, to take them on. The field is up, so Test cricket might be a honeymoon for him if he starts embracing it,” added Shastri.
Under Shastri’s stewardship from 2017 to 2021, Rohit evolved into one of the most formidable Test openers India has produced in recent times. His transition was marked by a remarkable blend of patience, technique, and explosiveness, allowing him to thrive in challenging conditions and assert dominance over world-class bowling attacks.
Rohit recently called time on his Test career after an illustrious career spanning 67 games, which saw him score 4,301 runs including 12 centuries and 18 half-tons.
Shastri said he thought about utilising Rohit as a Test opener during the World Cup in 2019 when he smashed five centuries and finished the tournament as the leading run-getter with 648 runs at an average of 81.
The former all-rounder said that he discussed the idea of pushing Rohit as an opener with then captain Virat Kohli. Rohit was an instant success, hitting twin centuries in his first Test at the top of the order against South Africa.
“He`d batted enough at five and six and he wasn`t here and he wasn`t there,” said Shastri about Rohit, who hit nine of his 12 centuries from that point onwards.
“He would get his 20s or 30s and throw it away. (I thought) let`s put him under pressure and send him up (the order). And I remember telling him in the West Indies `we want you to open`.
“This (decision) was (August) 2019, if I`m not mistaken, after that World Cup. He`d had a great World Cup, so his form was very good. And he might have thought of it for a little while, but he was OK.
“Then he came in for the first Test match and he opened the innings and he got a hundred. If I`m not mistaken, he got a big 100 in that first innings and then he didn`t look back because then he seemed to enjoy it,” added Shastri.
(With inputs from PTI)
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