While Rohit Sharma is a very successful opener in limited-overs cricket, the selectors are now thinking to give him chance as a Test opener. However, the former Indian wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia doesn’t support this idea.
The limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma is one of the in-form openers in limited-overs cricket. At present, the right-handed batsman is the no.2-ranked ODI batsman. Since he has taken the opening batting role in limited-overs cricket, he became a very consistent batsman.
Read More: N Srinivasan Confirms MS Dhoni Leading CSK Next Year, Twitter Erupts
However, in Test cricket, Rohit hasn’t opened yet as he mostly played as a middle-order batsman. But he has struggled to perform consistently as a middle-order batsman in Test cricket. Especially, his Test performances against the top-ranked Test teams are very weak.
Meanwhile, the Indian Test team is struggling to find out a stable opening batsman. Recently, the selectors have wished to see Rohit Sharma as a Test opener. Some former cricketers have also supported this idea.
But Nayan Mongia doesn’t support this idea. Mongia has claimed that the opening batting is a specialized job just like the wicketkeeping. He also believes that there is a massive difference in the mindset between Test opener and limited-overs opener.
Mongia told TOI, “Opening is a specialized job, like ‘keeping. He’s been opening in limited-overs cricket, but Test cricket requires a massive adjustment in mindset. Unless, of course, he decides to stick to what he does in limited-overs cricket – go for the ball. He must stick to his strengths, rather than change his game according to Test cricket. If he does that, it may affect his limited-overs game.”
The likes of Panchal and Easwaran are averaging 50-60 in domestic cricket – Nayan Mongia
Nayan Mongia has also questioned why the national selectors aren’t giving the chances to the regular domestic openers who perform consistently in domestic cricket. Mongia feels that Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal and Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran deserve to earn the Test call-up as they were very consistent in the previous season.
Read More: PCB Announces Training Camp Squad; Shoaib Malik And Mohammad Hafeez Miss Out
Mongia added, “Why not give chances to those who’ve scored 1,000-800 runs in a season as an opener? The likes of Panchal and Easwaran are averaging 50-60 in domestic cricket. When are they going to get a chance? It’s demotivating for them.”
Panchal was the fourth most run-scorer in Ranji Trophy 2018/19 as the right-handed batsman scored 898 runs in 17 innings with an average of 59.86. On the other hand, Easwaran scored 861 runs in 11 innings with an average of 95.66. In the last Ranji Trophy, Easwaran finished as the seventh most run-scorer.