Less than a week to go before the opening Test between India and Australia begins in Perth. While there has been suspense over India captain Rohit Sharma‘s availability for the match, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has solved that mystery. Manjrekar confirmed that Rohit is definitely out of the Perth Test, elevating Jasprit Bumrah‘s status as the captain of the team. However, Virat Kohli is the man the other Indian players might look up to, considering how well he has done Down Under over the years.
Both Kohli and Rohit have been subjected to plenty of criticism over their performances in the build-up to the series. Manjrekar feels they will be happy to not be playing a Test series at home this time.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be thinking ‘it’s good. we are going to play in a home away from home’. They were struggling a lot on turning pitches. Facing pace and bounce is not a problem for Rohit Sharma. If you have seen Virat Kohli in South Africa the last time India toured there, he was looking like India’s best player. For him, there will be a sigh of relief. It’s a home away from home for them,” Manjrekar said in a chat on Star Sports.
“Rohit Sharma will not be there in the first. For him, it will be a bit of a break (from scrutiny). Because of his absence, the team will be a bit more lighter,” Manjrekar said.
Kohli has done wonders with the bat in Australia. But, Manjrekar expects the Pat Cummins-led side to come up with concrete plans for Kohli, but the India star also knows what he is expected to come up against.
“Virat knows exactly what’s going to be planned. They’ll obviously start with that line outside the off-stump and gauge what his mood is. Generally these days he looks to leave balls outside the off-stump and if they have anything that’s pitched right up, he’ll look to drive,” Manjrekar said.
“Nowadays, they are also trying to cramp him for room and attack his body because he loves to get forward so much. So that is something New Zealand tried, which is very smart. And then if he is so focused outside off, that typical one of landing a ball on middle stump which Josh Hazlewood would try. So all those methods will be tried by the Australians and Virat Kohli is aware of that,” he added.
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