Rohit Sharma will find it tough to straightaway open in Champions Trophy: Mohammad Azharuddin

In about a fortnight from now, Rohit Sharma will have to undergo a significant transformation.

The Mumbaikar will have to go from batting in the middle-order in the IPL to opening in the Champions Trophy (CT); from boosting the run rate walking in at No. 3 or 4 for Mumbai Indians to laying a solid, stable platform for Team India; from trying to counter-attack spinners in the middle overs on flat Indian pitches to negating the moving new ball in English conditions.

That's quite an adjustment to make in a fortnight, isn't it?

Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin certainly thinks so, and feels Sharma should not have dropped himself down the order for MI in this IPL season looking at the larger picture.

“When you are an opening batsman, you should open. I always feel that the best players should play the first 20 overs. If your best batsmen are playing after 8-10 overs in T20s and after 30 overs in a 50-overs game, there's no use. Rohit Sharma is a good player, and I was very surprised to see him bat at No. 3 or 4 or 5 (for MI),” Azharuddin said here on Thursday on the sidelines of a selection camp for True Premier League, a cricket talent hunt that picks up players from all pockets of Maharashtra who will then be part of 500 teams competing in the league starting from May 27.

Azharuddin said Sharma, who returned for the IPL after a five-month injury lay-off, will find it challenging to walk out to open in CT after batting in the middle-order throughout this IPL season.

“He has to get used to the spot quickly. It's going to be tough for him to straightaway go and open, because the conditions are different and he is coming back from an injury. All these things will play on his mind,” he said.

The 99-Test and 334-ODI veteran also said Sharma's opening partner, the recalled Shikhar Dhawan, must be more consistent at the big stage starting with the CT.

“He's a good player, but the consistency has to come. It's fine that he is doing well in IPL, but he has to be consistent as well. I think he did well in England in 2013, and hopefully he takes that confidence this time around. But he has to deliver,” he said.

The elegant middle-order batsman, who notched up 497 runs in 15 ODIs in England at an average of 62.13, reckoned it will be imperative for both these under-fire openers to be at the top of their game if India are to go all the way in CT.

“The openers have a key role to play. In England, having good starts matters a lot, because if you expose your No. 3, 4 and 5 batsmen on a bad day, you might not do well,” he said.

Like most former players and cricket pundits around the world, Azharuddin backed the Virat Kohli-led outfit to defend its 2013 title in the eight-nation event that begins from June 1.

“I will be very disappointed if they don't win the tournament. They've got the ammunition. We've got the best batting, the best fast bowlers, and we've also got the best spinners,” he said.

He sounded a note of caution for the batters, though. “My only concern is if the ball swings, because our batsmen are so used to playing on flat wickets for so many months. In England, the conditions are very different, you can't play like a millionaire. So, whichever batsman adapts to the conditions quickly will be more successful,” he added.

Having led India in 47 Tests and 174 ODIs, Azharuddin felt Kohli should forget about his failure as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this IPL season and go into his first major test as ODI captain with a positive mindset.

“It (failure with RCB) should not play in his mind. He has done well. He should take that confidence forward rather than thinking negative. He's a good player, and he doesn't have anything to prove to anybody. But at the same time, if he does well, it'll be like a feather in his cap,” he said.