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Rohit Sharma needs big scores in Sri Lanka series to seal spot in India Test team
Rohit Sharma admits his position in India’s Test team is on a shaky ground and he needs to come up with consistent scores to ensure a regular spot in the side.
Since scoring back to back centuries in his debut series against West Indies two years ago, Sharma has logged just two 50-plus scores in the rest of his nine Tests. His run tally in 11 Tests stands at 668 with a modest average of 39.29.
Sharma faces a stiff challenge from teammate Cheteshwar Puj-ara, who is back in form after losing his No3 spot following a poor run. Both batsmen will be vying for places in the playing XI during the upcoming three-match Test series in Sri Lanka next month.
Although Sharma has been preferred by new captain Virat Kohli in the last two Tests, his returns at No3 - 53, 39 and six - have been far from impressive.
Besides, whenever India have played five bowlers, a combination that Kohli is a fan of, the axe has fallen on Sharma.
Sharma insists the Test spot is “priceless” and he doesn’t want to let go of it “so easily”.
“It’s not just me. Any cricketer you ask, nobody wants to lose that spot. You know how hard you had to work for that spot. For me it was never easy. I had to wait for five-six years before making my debut. I was scoring pretty heavily in Ranji Trophy. Because we had such a strong middle order at that time, it wasn’t easy.
“Now I stand in a position where it’s a very tricky situation. I definitely want to do well every Test match I play. But knowing how Test matches are played these days, it’s not easy. In fact it was never easy. Test cricket is a challenge, and I love challenges.”
The 28-year-old who is a regular in India’s limited-overs teams as an opening batsman insists he is unf-azed by the competition he faces in the Test team. “When it comes to competition, it is always good to be in that zone,” he told bcci.tv.
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“You always want to be competing for whatever you do. Just not for the spot, but even when you cement your place, you want to keep competing against the best in the world. I don’t take it as pressure.
“I always enjoy competition, I have always loved it.
“At the end of the day what you do on the field is what matters. When you get an opportunity you have to make the most of it. You are the person in charge, you are the person responsible for what you make of it.
“It is in your hand what you do. You have all the opportunity. You just have to grab it. How you do it is up to you.”
Sharma is looking ahead to the series in Sri Lanka, beginning from August 12, to revive his Test career.
“It does bother when you don’t get runs in Test matches but I don’t want to keep sulking about it.
“I want to look forward. I am a positive person so I only look forward to good things.
“I hope I can change things around a little bit (in Sri Lanka ser-ies) for me and my country. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”
Testing times: Rohit Sharma scored 177 and 111 in his first two Test matches against the West Indies in the home series in 2013. But since then his scores have been ordinary in the nine Tests that followed.
