Sourav Ganguly Believes Rohit Sharma Should Open in Test Cricket

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has once again backed India limited-overs vice-captain?Rohit Sharma?to remain as the opener in the longest format of the game. He feels that Sharma deserved a chance in the longest format of the game.

Before the India and West Indies series, Ganguly had suggested Rohit should be tried in the opening slot. But he was not included in any of the games. Ganguly also shared opener KL Rahul‘s poor form can help the team management to think about Rohit as the opener alongside Mayank Agarwal. Rohit Sharma, however, had a great campaign in the recently concluded World Cup 2019, where he smashed five centuries.

“I had suggested earlier about trying Rohit Sharma as an opener in Test cricket and I still believe that he needs to be given an opportunity because he is too good a player to be left out in the cold,”?Sourav Ganguly wrote in his column for The Times of India.

“After a fantastic World Cup, I believe he will be itching to grab the opportunity to open in Tests. With Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari settling in nicely, there is not much left to play around in the middle-order,” the former captain further added.

Ganguly also felt that India need to fix their opening slot in Tests as early as possible.

“The opening still remains an area to work on. Mayank Agarwal looks good but will need a few more opportunities. His partner KL Rahul, though, has flattered to deceive and that creates an opening at the top,” Ganguly told.

However, while speaking on the dismal show of Jason Holder-led West Indies side in the series, Sourav Ganguly said they lacked the application. West Indies lost the series by 2-0.

“As has been clearly evident in every form of the contest, West Indies have the talent but in terms of application, the they are a long way off. How they manage to resurrect themselves from here on will define the future of West Indies cricket,” the former left-handed batsman added.