Rohit Sharma Is The Best Puller And Sweeper In The Current Indian Batting Unit: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer-turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has heaped high praise on opener Rohit Sharma following his masterclass in how to play spin bowling on a raging turner during the first innings of the second Test against England in Chennai.

After having endured a rare failure on home soil in the last Test, normal services resumed for Rohit Sharma as he smashed a whirlwind 161 on a track that has shown considerable signs of breaking up in the next two days.’

Sharma looked in his elements today right from the very outset and his knock was a typical playlist full of gorgeous cover-drives, sumptuous cuts, disdainful pull strokes, and of-course the slog-sweep.

Rohit scored his 7th Test hundred and he went on to convert it into a 150 before holing out to Moeen Ali at deep-square-leg in an attempt to slog-sweep Jack Leach.

Nevertheless, his innings of 161 and the 161-run-stand that he stitched with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane for the 4th wicket has helped India take a position of strength at stumps of day 01.

Heaping high praise on Rohit Sharma, Sanjay Manjrekar compared his impact with that of Virender Sehwag while alluding to his strike-rates whenever the ‘Hitman’ gets to a Test hundred. Manjrekar added that while one has to wait for England’s batting performance against the Indian spinners to gauge the real impact of Rohit Sharma’s masterclass, one thing is for certain that the Indian opener is the best puller and sweeper in the current batting-unit.

“When he gets his hundreds at home, his strike-rate has always been over 70. Again we have to see England bat on this pitch. If they really struggle against Indian spinners then you’ll see Rohit Sharma’s innings in a completely different light,” Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.

“At the moment you’ve got to admire the talent this guy has and it is safe to say Rohit Sharma is the best puller and sweeper in the current Indian batting unit,” he added.

Also Read: You Can’t Be Too Defensive On This Wicket: Ajinkya Rahane