IND Vs ENG: "Rohit Sharma Is The Don Bradman.."- Monty Panesar
Published - 09 Jan 2024, 12:15 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:25 AM
Former England Left-arm Off-spinner Monty Panesar hailed Indian captain Rohit Sharma for his ability to play attacking shots against spin bowlers and likened him to the great Australian batter Don Bradman. Panesar who claimed 167 wickets in Tests also stated that Rohit will be a major threat for England when the 5-match Test series starts later this month.
The opening match of the series will take place on 25th January at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium before the series heads to Vishakhapatnam (Feb 2-6), Rajkot (Feb 15-19), Ranchi (Feb 23-27) and Dharamshala (Mar 7-11) for the following 4 Tests.
England will be touring India for a Test series for the first time since 2020/21. The hosts had clinched the 4-match series by 3-1. The last red-ball series between the 2 Cricket giants took place in 2021/22 when India traveled to England for the 5-match Pataudi Trophy series which remained a 2-2 draw.
Led by Ben Stokes, the Three Lions will be aiming to win their first Test series in India since 2012/13, the same series where Monty Panesar played a pivotal role in their 2-1 series win. Ahead of the latest installment between them in Indian conditions, Panesar hailed Rohit Sharma for batting like Don Bradman in turning tracks and advised the English bowlers to get him out before he settles in the middle.
Panesar praised the overall Indian batters for being fearless against spin but pointed out that Rohit Sharma will be the main guy.
“Indian batters are attacking against the turning ball. They are a bit more fearless. The key man for India is going to be Rohit Sharma. He’s the Don Bradman of turning pitches. His record is unbelievable. England have to get Rohit out early right through to have a chance of winning the Test series.” – Panesar said.
“If England Gets Rohit Sharma’s Wicket Early, Pressure Will Be On The Youngsters”, Monty Panesar Recommends
Monty Panesar further stated that if the English bowlers can remove Rohit Sharma early on in the innings then India will have no option but to implement a Plan B. Panesar further said that getting the big fishes out in the initial phases will put direct pressure on the youngsters and claimed that should be their game plan.
“If England can keep Rohit quiet, India will be going to Plan B. You then put the younger batters under pressure. That is going to be the key.”
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has scored 747 runs in Tests against England in 17 innings from 2014-2021. He has averaged almost 50 and has scored 2 Centuries and 3 half-centuries with a highest of 161. Overall Rohit Sharma has scored 3737 runs in 54 Tests including Ten 100’s and Sixteen 50’s with a decent average of 45.57.
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