Rohit Sharma is one of India’s premier batsmen in limited-overs cricket but he hasn’t been able to make a mark and cement his spot in Test cricket so far. There is a common belief among the cricket pundits that he has got talent, but Test cricket, as they say, requires more than just talent.
Since the announcement of squad for the Test series against New Zealand, there have been many debates regarding the playing XI.
In India’s last Test series against West Indies, we saw Virat Kohli dropping Cheteshwar Pujara to accommodate Rohit Sharma in the playing XI. Former Indian batsman VVS Laxman has said that if given a choice between Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara in Test cricket, he would go with Pujara.
“Rohit has to get his gameplan right in Tests. You can see in ODIs or T20s, his consistency has a lot to do with the conviction with which he approaches each innings. He lacks that belief in the longer format,” Laxman told Times of India at a Star Sports event here.
“Given a choice, I would select Pujara. The number of runs he has made in the Duleep Trophy (453 runs in 3 innings at an average of 226.5) has made his inclusion a certainty. He is the perfect candidate to slot in at No. 3.”
