Not Virat Kohli: Josh Hazlewood finds Rohit Sharma 'quite tough to bowl to'

Veteran Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood heaped praise on Team India captain Rohit Sharma ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Josh Hazlewood highlighted how difficult it is to bowl to Rohit Sharma, adding that "he’s got all the time in the world" when playing the fast bowlers.

Rohit Sharma has a good record against Australia in Test cricket. The right-handed batter has scored 708 runs in 12 Test matches at a moderate average of 33.71, including three half-centuries and one century. Sharma has amassed 408 runs in seven Tests at an average of 31.38 on Australian soil.

The 37-year-old batter does not have a strong record against Hazlewood in the longer format of the game. He has amassed 54 runs in 174 deliveries and has been dismissed twice by Hazlewood in Test cricket.

Rohit Sharma Has Faced The New Ball A Lot - Josh Hazlewood

In a video shared by Star Sports on X (formerly known as Twitter), Josh Hazlewood opened up about the challenges of bowling against Rohit Sharma. He praised Rohit's exceptional ability to handle pace bowlers, stating that the Indian skipper won't be troubled by bounce and movement.

“I remember one time India came out, he battled at 5 or 6 and then last time he opened. He’s faced the new ball a lot. I feel like he plays the quicks unbelievably well. The bounce doesn’t seem to worry him, the movement doesn’t. He’s got all the time in the world. So, I find him quite tough to bowl to," Hazlewood said on Star Sports.

Rohit has successfully led the Indian Test team since taking over the captaincy from Virat Kohli. He has scored 1,101 runs as captain, including four centuries and three half-centuries.

Sharma guided India to the final of the World Test Championship last year. Rohit's next big challenge will be the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia later this year.

Nathan Lyon Has Had Some Good Success - Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood said that spinner Nathan Lyon has had success bowling to Rohit Sharma, especially in Australia. He emphasized that dismissing the Indian captain early in matches could impact the outcome of the game. Hazlewood said that bringing Lyon into the attack early might be a key strategy.

“I think ‘Gaza’ (Nathan Lyon) has had some good success against him, particularly in Australia, so it might be a case of getting him on early as well,” Hazlewood concluded.

Rohit has scored 3,571 runs against Australia, including nine centuries across all formats. In 2024, he has scored 466 runs in seven Test matches, including two centuries against England. However, he struggled in the recent first Test against Bangladesh, managing just six and five runs in his two innings.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will kick off in Perth on November 22. Following the opening match, a day-night Test will take place in Adelaide starting December 6. The remaining three matches in the much-awaited Test series will be played in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney respectively.

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