The star batsman of the Indian cricket team Rohit Sharma has been in the news a lot recently due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. MI skipper Rohit, who is currently trying to gain full fitness, has put 'an option' in front of the management before the Test series which started about a month later in Australia.
Rohit Sharma has enjoyed his role as a Test opener but in the upcoming Test series against Australia, he is ready to be flexible about his position in the batting order as per the demand of the team management. Rohit is expected to play a big role with Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the team after the opening Test as skipper Virat will return to India for the birth of his first child.
"I will tell you the same thing that I have told everyone all this while. I will be happy to bat wherever the team wants me to but I don't know if they would change my role as an opener," Rohit told PTI in an exclusive interview.
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Rohit Sharma believes that by the time he arrives in Australia after completing his 'Strength and Conditioning' training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, his role will have been decided by the team management. The swashbuckling batsman suffered a minor hamstring injury during the Indian Premier League, which was widely discussed.
"I am sure the guys already in Australia must have figured out what are options when Virat leaves and who are the guys who will open the innings," Rohit sa
"We talk about bounce but except for Perth, over the past few years, the other grounds (Adelaide, MCG, SCG), I don't think have that much bounce.
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Rohit, who is of the best players to players of hook and pull shots, believes that extra bounce on Australian pitches is never as big a factor as it is made and hyped.
"Nowadays, especially while opening the batting, I will have to think about not playing the cut or pull shots and focus on playing in the 'V' and as straight as possible," he said. He spoke about how Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins or Mitchell Starc would keep it full with the new kookaburra.
"With new ball, whoever bowls, whether it's Starc, Cummins or Hazlewood, they will obviously pitch it up, swing the ball and the bouncer would be used sparingly.
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"They would try to ensure with the new ball that they would get some movement off the air or off the pitch. With the new ball, everybody in the world loves to bowl up and send down one odd bouncer here and there.
"So majority of the deliveries will be up and towards the bat and not short," he explained. He then cited the example of how Nathan Lyon was Australia's best bowler (8 wickets) in the Perth Test that the home team won in the 2018 series.
"We talk about bounce on Australian tracks. But tell me how many people got out on bouncers during the last series? "When we played in Perth in 2018-19, it was Nathan Lyon, who got eight wickets including a five-for. In Australia, half the job is done if you can start well upfront."
"Once I reach there, I will probably have a clearer idea of what's going to happen. I will be okay to bat wherever they want," added the dashing batsman, who has a 46-plus average in 32 Tests.
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