Former Indian World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar believes the experienced Indian batting duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will score a lot of runs in the upcoming two-match test series against South Africa. The seasoned Indian batters will return to the team after an extended absence following the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023.
The inexperienced Indian batting team will be led by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first test against the Proteas, with youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer expected to play their first test on South African soil, on circumstances that will be difficult for the batters in Centurion.
During a discussion with Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar expects Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to score a lot of runs in the two-match test series and believes that the South African bowling attack does have the quality to challenge the Indian batters with the absence of Nortje and doubts over the fitness of Rabada and Ngidi.
“They are experienced batters, who are coming after playing everywhere, so I expect them to score lots of runs in these two Test matches. Not only because they have got so much talent, but this time around, I think the South African attack does not have that edge.”
“With the absence of Nortje, with the likely absence of Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, the South African attack looks a little bit short on experience, I am not saying short of class. So I feel these two batters will score lots of runs and help the Indian team post a big score,” Sunil Gavaskar said.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested for the white-ball leg against Proteas and would be keen on putting up a show to help India win their first-ever test series win on South African soil. In the Rainbow Nation, India won four Tests out of 23 matches. Much will be expected of the seasoned Indian players to deliver goods for the team in the two-match series against South Africa.
The Challenge Would Be To Get Your Mental State Into A Test Match Situation – Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar believes that Rohit Sharma would face a mental struggle in preparing for the longer format of the game and that the Indian captain will need to adjust his mindset in test cricket after playing an attacking role in the ODI World Cup.
“First and foremost, the challenge would be to get your mental state into a Test match situation. He has been batting in the ODI format where he had decided that he was going to be playing the attacking role and try and score as many runs as possible in the first 10 overs of field restrictions.”
“He will have to change the approach completely for Test cricket because he will have to think in terms of batting the whole day. If he bats the whole day, then, clearly with the range of shots that he has got, he will be able to end up with 180 or 190 not out at the end of the day and India will be 300-plus,” Sunil Gavaskar added.
Rohit Sharma became the first batter in history to score 500 runs in consecutive ODI World Cups. The skipper has a lot to look forward to in the coming months, starting with a two-match test series against South Africa and a five-match test series against England, followed by the T20 World Cup in 2024.