Harbhajan Singh can empathise with Rohit Sharma. The Mumbai batsman was dropped from the India squad for the Sri Lanka Tri series and the Champions Trophy in South Africa, after a run of poor scores. Rohit’s talent was never in doubt but his lackadaisical approach has got administrators and selectors thinking about his ability to handle fame.
However, Harbhajan, who has had his own problems with discipline and form over a decade-long career, feels this hitch for Rohit couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Rohit is supremely talented, someone who is God-gifted. But we have to understand that he is only 21-22 years old. He has had so much exposure already. He will learn and come out of this bad slump. Sometimes, despite all the talent in the world, runs just stop coming. It happens to the best. Even Sachin Tendulkar gets bowled for a duck,” Harbhajan told DNA.
“I rate Rohit very highly. I have full confidence that he will be back in the side sooner than later. But I also think this jhatka has come at the right time for him. He has got a chance to regroup and have a go again. I am sure he will come out stronger from this ordeal. It’s all part of cricket. You get dropped, then you get picked. Through it all, it’s important to keep your head about you,” Harbhajan added.
The 29-year-old offie believes that Rohit has it in him to be the next Rahul Dravid for India. “He has the potential to be one of the greats in Indian batting. He can be India’s Dravid. He just needs more focus. And he has the biggest example of that focus right here in Mumbai. Look at Sachin Tendulkar. Almost worshipped from the time he was 16, so many distractions but he never lost his focus,” Harbhajan said.
In the city for a curtain raiser of the cricket season that starts with the BCCI Corporate Trophy from September 1, Harbhajan also highlighted the need to play more Tests in the coming years.
“I wish we would play more Tests in a year. We are playing enough Twenty20s and ODIs. I would personally like to play 12-15 Tests in a year. People like to watch T20 but all cricketers will tell you Test cricket is the real thing. Every format of the game has its own charm. But I would love to play more Tests,” he said.
On the dwindling interest in Tests, he said, “I think the format is good. The idea is to create a buzz. Maybe give school children free tickets to come and watch the games. Maybe schedule the game in such a way so that the last two days fall on a week end. The Ashes series has been drawing capacity crowds.”
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