"It felt like a second birth in Test cricket" - Rohit Sharma shares the role Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri play in his Test career

India captain Rohit Sharma recently shared how Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri played key roles in reviving his Test career. He recalled how the then Test captain Kohli and former head coach Shastri encouraged him to open in Tests. However, they asked him to play a practice game in the longest format, where he got out on the very first ball as well. Despite this initial setback, Rohit Sharma expressed his intent to attack from the beginning, similarly in white-ball cricket. However, Rohit’s chance to open for the first time came in October 2019, where he played a stunning knock of 176 against South Africa as well.

Rohit said in Jatin Sapru's YouTube channel, "In the second innings, I was very grateful to Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli for giving me the opportunity to bat up the order. It wasn’t an easy decision to promote me in Tests. They trusted me." He added, "They asked me to play one practice match, which I did. I got out on the very first ball, but I realized that I didn’t have any other choice. It felt like a second birth in Test cricket. I knew I had to grab this opportunity, whether it meant opening, batting at No. 5 or 6, or even lower down the order."

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Rohit Sharma's change in fortunes in Tests

However, Rohit Sharma made his Test debut in 2013 but he struggled initially to seal his place in the team. He played only 27 Tests till 2018, scoring 1585 runs with three tons and 10 fifties as well, and he wasn't even a regular in the squad. Determined to return, Rohit embraced the challenge too. His new approach was seen during the second Test against Bangladesh when he scored two consecutive sixes off the first two balls in India’s first innings as well.

"Ravi bhai was eager for me to open" - Rohit Sharma

"My response to them was clear: I’ll play my natural game and won’t take the pressure of trying to survive. I’m going to play freely. If the ball is there, whether it’s the first ball of the Test or not, I’m going to hit it. They gave me the freedom to do what I wanted," he added.

He also shared that Ravi Shastri had been keen on him opening in Tests since 2015, it was the time when Shastri was the Team India director. "Ravi Bhai was very eager for me to open in Tests for a long time. He told me in 2015 that I should consider it as an option. He wanted me to open, but the decision wasn’t in my hands."