Rohit Sharma rekindles hopes of renaissance in Tests

It is known that like many, Virat Kohli, is also a big fan of Rohit Sharma's batting. So much so that he can go an extra mile and prune his ploy of going into a Test match with five bowlers to accommodate the batsman.

This happened recently in the last two Tests against Sri Lanka in Nagpur and Delhi. When fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar had to leave the team to get married, Kohli did not replace him with another seamer but went ahead with Sharma — a batsman.

The Indian captain believes that a batsman like Sharma can change a game single-handedly with his fast paced scoring. Another reason was also to get the stylish batsman in the groove before the big series in South Africa.

And it is in South Africa that Sharma, if given a chance in Tests, would like to fulfill the promise he gave wings to when he burst into the scene. The effortless batting, that extra fraction of a second he always managed to find for himself at the crease, that lazy gait and infectious nonchalance have all added to his aura.

However, these very qualities appear to work against him as he failed establish himself in the Tests. It has been a tremendous blow for not just India but for the sport as well. The world has missed out on watching the rare lazy elegance of a right-hander, who can give any southpaw a touch of grace on loan.

You don't get batsmen like Sharma from an assembly line jutting out of best coaching camps in the country. A batsman like Sharma, like any poet worth his salt, is born not made. And when India tour South Africa, there is rekindled hope that the batsman, at 30, will have a rebirth as far as Tests are concerned.

And this hope stems from his performance against Sri Lanka recently. Sharma repaid the faith shown in him by his captain with a century (in Nagpur) and two half-centuries in each innings (Delhi). All the three knocks came under different circumstances, which only later strengthened Team India's position.

Sharma was playing a Test after more than a year, the last one being against New Zealand in Indore in October 2016. After that he suffered an injury which resulted him go into a long lay-off before he returned in the IPL.

The series against Sri Lanka was forced into the calender, thanks to the BCCI, but Kohli & Co treated it like a dress rehearsal ahead of the South Africa series.

Kohli's idea of playing Sharma was not just to help him with match practise but also to keep the options open especially, if the captain went in with four-bowlers or get him in if one of the batsmen is out of form.

Rohit's return to Test cricket was smooth. He took the opportunity as it came. The venue — Nagpur — was the same one where he might have made his debut in 2010 but for an ankle injury. In the first Test against Sri Lanka in the same stadium, the cricketer went on to hit third Test century (102, 165b) in his 22nd match, which India won to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

In Delhi, the situation demanded him to go after the attack in both the innings. He did the same where in the first innings he had a 165-run stand with Kohli — where he got — 65 off 102balls and then 90 runs partnership with captain in the second innings. Sharma made 50 off just 49 deliveries.

"Personally for me, it [the hundred] was very important as I was playing Test cricket after nearly 500 days. I have been waiting for this opportunity and I am glad that I could put some runs on the board for myself and the team. Really happy, it was worth waiting for so long," a relieved Sharma had said after the Nagpur Test.

Sharma's childhood coach Dinesh Lad was never in doubt that the cricketer would come good so quickly in Test cricket. "Basically, his batting technique suits all format. There is a lot of similarity with the way he plays T20s, ODIs or Tests. He plays with the straight bat more and then he has got the temperament. Thus, one should not be surprise with him being in the groove," Lad told DNA.

Lad is confident if given an opportunity in South Africa, his protege would come good. "South Africa is a place where the ball gets a good bounce and comes onto the bat. Rohit loves to play in those conditions. If you saw CB series in 2007 (Australia), he scored a lot of runs as the ball was coming nicely to the bat, which actually suits his style," he says.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had two 150-plus and a 50-plus partnerships (173, 165 90) in the three-match series against Sri Lanka