Winning a match in a team game like cricket is a collective responsibility. A single player cannot be held responsible for the outcome of a match on any day. But after all, it is the individual performances that make or break a game. India was going great guns when the top order was firing on all cylinders in the previous year.

There were some extraordinary and memorable performances from both Rohit and Shikhar. The two have set so high standards for themselves that their fans now want nothing less than what they have seen before from the two openers.

It must be mentioned that Rohit Sharma wasn’t in the best of his elements in the first and the second one day match against New Zealand. He scored just three runs in a staggering 23 balls in the first match. His super-defensive approach put pressure on Shikhar Dhawan. Trying to break free and increase the scoring rate, he lost his wicket.

Question marks were being raised on his presence in the team. However he made up for the dismal show in the first innings of the first Test. India could manage to score just 202 runs in response to the mammoth 503 runs scored by New Zealand. Out of the 200 odd runs in the first innings, Rohit scored 72 runs. That was an important contribution as India huffed and puffed to reach even 200 runs.

He was given vital support by Ajinkya Rahane. That partnership helped India to a respectable total. But, what Rohit Sharma still needs is some consistency like Virat Kohli. Many of Rohit’s innings have been such that when it looks he will get going, he loses his wicket. And the same was experienced in the second innings of the first Test.

A little lack of concentration is enough to unsettle a batsman and Rohit has to learn this thing as early as possible. He has shown his class many times in the T20 matches where he led Mumbai to the title. But, Test matches are a class apart and that indeed tests every bowler and every batsman. No wonder, Test matches are the ultimate in the game of cricket.

Article Posted By : abhi_bangal  On February 11, 2014lView All Articles

Article Source :

http://www.veethi.com/articles/what-was-rohit-sharma-doing-there-article-2968.htm

Keywords :
Rohit Sharma , Indian batting , India New Zealand cricket