'No One Is Better Than Rohit Sharma In Counterattacking' - Monty Panesar Warns England

Former England cricketer Monty Panesar heaped rich praise on India skipper Rohit Sharma ahead of the five-Test series between India and England. He said that the opening batter is difficult to bowl and can put the visitors on the back foot by attacking spinners.

The Test series between India and England will begin from 25th January and no doubt it will be an enthralling series to watch. The spotlight will be on skipper Rohit Sharma as he will have to play a huge role if the hosts have to fancy their chances of winning. 

Rohit Sharma for the last two-three years has been India’s best Test batter. His rise as an opener has been remarkable and his impressive starts at the top in the longest format of the game have been one of the major reasons behind the team’s success in the format, both at home and overseas. 

In the Indian conditions, where other batters have struggled to tackle the spin, Rohit Sharma has attacked the bowlers and has put his team in the top position. This time around, he is expected to do the same and take his team to glory in the Test series, which will be crucial for WTC. 

Monty Panesar is aware of Rohit Sharma’s threat for England bowlers. He hailed him as a fantastic batter with a wide range of shots. He believes that fast bowlers will need to get rid of the batter as early as possible. 

He further highlighted the batter’s counter-attacking innings by praising his innings during the ICC World Cup 2023. Speaking to IANS, he explained: 

“He (Rohit Sharma) is the one who will be very difficult to bowl. He is just fantastic with his wide range of hitting and shot selection in his mind. His ability to counter-attack on turning pitches will push the England bowlers on the back foot, so it will be very crucial for the pace bowlers to get rid of him early.” 

“I mean no one is better than Rohit when it’s about counterattack. We saw him batting in the ODI World Cup 2023, he just changed his game, and that saw India sailing to the finals.” 

Monty Panesar also lauded Virat Kohli and hailed him a beast in Indian conditions. He believes that he can change the course of the game. He urged England batters to provoke the batter. He added: 

“Virat on the home turf is a beast, he can change the course of the game with his exceptional batting talent but the problem with him is his aggression and getting carried away and England knowingly will try to provoke him. I think that is the other way to get rid of him.”

The person who will worry them is Jasprit Bumrah – Monty Panesar 

Monty Panesar further added that few of the England players have good experience of Indian conditions but he issued a warning to them. The former England spinner believes that Jasprit Bumrah will trouble the batters. 

Monty Panesar also said that England should keep an eye on Kuldeep Yadav as he will be vulnerable and can be a game-changer for India. He elaborated: 

“They have immense experience of Indian pitches, I mean most of the players have. Joe Root and Ben Stokes have the experience of turning pitches and they are well favourable of it, So spinners won’t be of that trouble. The person who will worry them is Jasprit Bumrah, they should not take him easily. His unique action provides him the space where he just scares you and we have witnessed that in the last tour. 

“Kuldeep Yadav is the other whom England should keep an eye on, no matter how vulnerable he is he always backs his delivery and belief in him. That is the attitude which I like about him. On the given day he will emerge as a curse for England and a game-changer for India,” he concluded.