‘Let’s see where his cricket goes:’ Gautam Gambhir on Rohit Sharma’s Test future

Given the kind of 2019, Indian opener Rohit Sharma had, there is no doubt that the swashbuckling Indian opener is one of the most destructive batsmen in limited-overs. He appeared as the highest ODI run-scorer with 1490 runs, with five centuries at the 2019 World Cup. He also broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara for the most number of centuries (5) in the single edition of World Cup.

Though, whenever it comes to Test cricket, Rohit has not ignited up the format as he has done in ODIs and T20Is, and even though he’s off to an exceptional start in his second-coming as an opener, sterner tests hang around with India scheduled to tour Australia later this year.

Rohit’s former India teammate Gautam Gambhir accredited Rohit’s incredible credentials as a white-ball batsman, but he is also keen on seeing how the batsman performs in Tests. While Irfan Pathan is certain that Rohit can create a Virender-Sehwag like impression in Tests. But Gambhir wishes to wait and watch how Rohit’s career turns out from this point forward.

“He is a fabulous white-ball cricketer, probably a better record than anyone of us including Virender Sehwag. But Test cricket is a completely different ball game,” Gambhir said on the Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.

“Yes, I could see the brilliance of it but let’s see where his cricket goes because Virender Sehwag has got two triple-hundreds. So, I hope Rohit Sharma can be as successful as Virender Sehwag in Test cricket.” He added.

In May, BCCI had also nominated him for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. His nomination was based on his performance between January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2019. In this period, Rohit had a dream run, becoming the first cricketer to score four centuries in T20 cricket and hold the record for the most 150-plus scores in ODIs – 8.

In addition, since the beginning of 2017, Rohit scored the most number of ODI centuries – 18. With 28 hundred’s, in the list of all-time leading ODI centurions, Rohit is ranked fourth.

Named the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2019, Rohit even bettered MS Dhoni’s record of hitting the maximum number of sixes in international matches on Indian soil. Later in the year, Rohit became the only player to have twin centuries in his maiden appearance as a Test opener back in 2013.