Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull praised Rohit Sharma for his batting approach and captaincy, stating that the Mumbai star has been the “most selfless Indian cricketer” in recent years. Doull expressed confidence in Rohit’s abilities, mentioning that he possesses both the skills and temperament to achieve success in South Africa, both as a batter and a captain.
Rohit Sharma is set to make his competitive return for the first time since the World Cup 2023 final, leading the Indian side in a 2-Test series against South Africa starting on December 26. Despite having played 4 Tests in South Africa and scoring 123 runs without a fifty, this will mark Rohit’s first time leading the team in the Rainbow Nation.
India is aiming to secure their first-ever Test series victory in South Africa, and Rohit Sharma’s recent form serves as a significant boost to the confidence of the visiting side as they seek to build on their positive start to the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
Rohit, who has not played Tests in South Africa since his successful transition to an opener in 2019, brings valuable experience. The Indian captain has demonstrated his ability to score centuries in challenging conditions, including in England and India against top-notch bowling attacks. With an average of over 50 in 25 Tests and a total of 2092 runs as an opener, Rohit’s contributions have been crucial to India’s recent Test successes.
Simon Doull Hailed Rohit Sharma For His Selflessness
Simon Doull expressed his desire to witness the aggressive and selfless version of Rohit Sharma that was evident during the World Cup, hoping to see a similar performance from him in the upcoming Test series in South Africa. He said:
“It will be about tempering his game a little bit. The one thing I have observed about Rohit Sharma in the last 10-18 months is that he has probably been the most selfless Indian cricketer I have seen in a long, long time. He has done everything he possibly could for his team to win. He made this team, he played in a certain way to allow the others in the team to be able to play the way they play, in white-ball cricket in particular,”
He added: “In the World Cup, we saw that he set the tone at the top of the order, which allowed the middle order to play the way they played. So, it’s a slight change for him, not too much. I still want him to be that aggressive Rohit Sharma. We do see it in Test matches,”
