Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar asserted that Rohit Sharma has overcome the weakness against the left-arm pacers and it has become a thing of the past for him. Rohit will be next seen leading the Indian team in the two-match Test series against South Africa. The Men in Blue will be looking to register their first-ever Test series win on Proteas soil.
It is going to be a big challenge for Rohit as the conditions in South Africa have always been difficult for the batters and the hosts also have a couple of quality left-arm pacers.
However, Manjrekar suggested the problem which Rohit used to face against the left-arm pacers is long gone now.
“The weakness you are talking about, the weakness against left-handers, is a thing of the past,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
The former India cricketer pointed out Rohit’s recent batting performance against the likes of Mitchell Starc and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
“Not anymore. In the last two or three years, he hasn’t had any problems. Mitchell Starc in the home series. He was comfortable against Australia with the new ball.
“Shaheen Afridi was supposed to be the danger man against Rohit Sharma. That was a Rohit who used to plant his front foot across the line. Not anymore. I think he has become a good Test player,” he added.
Manjrekar also suggested that Rohit’s Test career was transformed after the 2021-22 series against England where he ended up as the leading run-getter and took the onus on himself to take the team over the line.
“He plays exactly the opposite. When he gets runs at the Test level these days, it’s just occupation of the crease, which is an incredible memory that I have of him from England. When he came to the fore as a Test opener, he got a hundred there and ended up as the highest run-getter in that series. The number of hours he batted there in that series. The occupation of the crease is giving him a high now in Tests. It’s exactly the opposite role he played in the World Cup,” said Manjrekar.
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