Rohit Sharma is one of only 15 Indian men to score a century on Test debut. In fact, he scored two centuries in his first two Tests.
Since his international path followed a slightly different trajectory from the norm – that is, he received the Test cap only after establishing himself in white-ball cricket – scoring two centuries in his first two Tests began his equally promising Test career. Should have done His excellent batting skills were worth watching for everyone. It was just a matter of converting white-ball form into Test runs, and he did so in style in his first pair.
But unfortunately his Test career was not like that. He used to be in and out of the team time and again. In fact, the idea of opening him in Tests, as he did in white-ball cricket, was seen as the last throw of the dice to revive his career.
It worked. So why hasn't it been tried before? Also, more importantly, a batsman who is considered somewhat loose to open the innings in Test cricket?
Of course, his litmus test as an opener is ahead of him - India's five Tests in England and three in South Africa, but let's look at the question of why he was not tried as an opener first.
Sharma's batting style is really catchy and effective but it can also give you the impression of being a little loose. His feet don't move much and he is guilty of reaching for the balls with his hands but not moving his feet enough.
Still, can you blame him for playing like this? Scoring in white-ball cricket is all about staying away from the ball and allowing the hands to run the bat freely. Moving your legs too much can slow you down, and if you are slow you cannot score a double century in ODI cricket.
His ability to score lots of runs in white-ball cricket saw him as a batsman suited to the shorter formats. Every dismissal, attack or otherwise, was considered blasphemous and the case was made that it did not have the flair of a Test match. And to be fair, at the time, this belief was not entirely false. And hence the reluctance to try him over the top.
I remember writing to myself about Sharma's struggle to understand the rhythm of scoring in Tests. He'll look like a million dollars - when won't he? - And then he'll play a shot that will leave you scratching your head. You'd be surprised what he played with when everything was going smoothly. Perhaps it was the fact that he was not playing any first-class cricket because of India's white-ball calendar.
So what has changed now? Or more specifically, has anything changed in his Test batting?
His batting has changed since he started opening in Tests. The fore-leg stride has become slightly longer and the hands are staying close to the body. Although he did not get a big score in the World Test Championship final, he made a sincere effort to modify his game to suit the conditions in both the innings. While the front-foot stride was long enough, he didn't want to play through or over the line. He patiently defended with the front foot, waiting for the ball to be really full or short, and then he cashed in.
There was no single incident showing the difference in Sharma's approach in the WTC Final Test. His century in Chennai and his half-century in Ahmedabad against England earlier this year and his double century against South Africa in October 2019 in Ranchi showed those patterns.
Shot-making is at the core of Sharma's batting, and therefore balancing caution and aggression is a difficult move for him; Too much of either can cause trouble.
I really enjoyed his approach in Chennai, which was, arguably, one of the toughest pitches to bat on on day one. For someone as skilled as Sharma (I'm avoiding the word "talented" here), there must be an underlying desire to hit your way to trouble. It works great in white-ball cricket because if you win that fight, you win the war - because that fight is a war in limited overs cricket. But Test cricket follows a different pattern and it looks like Sharma is ready to change his behavior to suit his demands.
Will he never play loose shots again? He probably will, but when he does, no one will make a hasty decision on his Test career. And it will help.
Only time will tell whether he will score runs in England and end the debate about his efficiency as a Test opener overseas, but given the evidence from his recent outings, it is fair to assume that he will make it a good one. Will give a shot