'Rohit Sharma will have big impact in BGT': Ex-coach exposes his blueprint for overcoming Test slump

Former India fielding coach R Sridhar has made a bold claim that Rohit Sharma will have a big impact in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Sridhar reckons that Rohit will reflect on his recent batting performances and will come up with a plan to play on Australian pitches.

Rohit Sharma has been going through a poor run of form recently. The Indian captain was out of form throughout the home Test season which involved Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

In the two Tests against Bangladesh, Rohit scored 42 runs in two Tests at an average of 10.50. In the following Test series against New Zealand, he scored 91 runs in three Tests at an average of 15.16.

Also Read: Australia stars reveal their UNFILTERED thoughts on Virat Kohli ahead of BGT 2024-25

R Sridhar recalls Rohit Sharma's revival as a Test opener

While speaking to RevSportz, R Sridhar hailed Rohit Sharma's leadership abilities and claimed that India is fortunate to have him as the captain. He recalled the time during the 2021 England tour when Rohit worked hard on his technique with the red ball in Durham.

"Rohit Sharma's leadership credibilites have never been in question. (He is) one of the best leaders India have been fortunate to have. As has been in history, he is doing smart and continuing with that legacy," Sridhar said.

"In England tour in 2021, I vividly remember we had a 15-day camp in Durham before the Test series and Ro worked very hard on his technique. He got extremely hard on his top hand keeping his bat close to the body and aligning all his leavers towards the on-coming ball and hitting it as straight as possible, the downswing with line of the ball, that's something he worked very hard on," he added.

Rohit Sharma's memorable England tour in 2021

During this time, Rohit also had various chats with the batting coach Vikram Rathour, and the head coach Ravi Shastri. His hard work ultimately paid off as he scored 368 runs in four Tests at an average of 52.57 with 1 hundred and two fifties.

"During that 15-day camp in Durham, I remember feeding a lots of balls to him, having multiple sessions a day trying to work on his technique and having conversations with then batting coach Vikram Rathour and then Ravi (Shastri) bhai and he was a success on that tour. He was a revelation, the way he batted, it was million dollars," Sridhar added.

Before this tour, there were question marks on Rohit's ability to play well as a Test opener in tough conditions. But he proved everyone wrong and transformed his game into a proper Test opener.

🚨 #RSridhar Exclusive 🚨

"The Kookaburra ball suits Rohit better than Duke and SG, and I think he'll have a huge impact in Australia," says former India fielding coach R. Sridhar on @ImRo45 ahead of BGT 2024.

The narratives after the NZ series loss won't matter going into the… pic.twitter.com/1AyIZ0loK3

— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) November 5, 2024

"He is going to come up with a plan" - R Sridhar on Rohit Sharma

According to Sridhar, Rohit Sharma will reflect on his past dismissals and recent batting performances before the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Sridhar claimed that Rohit will be looking to spend some time at the crease rather than going after the bowling aggressively.

"I'm sure Rohit has got time now. He is going to spend time reflecting on his Indian summer or the last 10 innings. He is going to come up with a plan. He has got enough experience. He is a very smart bloke, shrewd cricketing brain," Sridhar noted.

"I'm sure he will come up with a plan of how to work and how to score runs. Not just runs, but also how to stay on the pitch, how to trust his game a little more for the Australian tour. He is going to work very hard on it because it has worked for him. I have had the ringside view of him working hard," he added.

R Sridhar backs Rohit Sharma to have a big impact in BGT 2024-25

The former India fielding coach further backed Rohit Sharma to work hard on his technique and feels that the Indian captain enjoys playing against the Kookaburra ball more. He backed Rohit to have a big impact on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

"I'm sure he is going to go back to the drawing board, work hard on his technique, watch videos of his previous performances in Australia or against the new ball. The Kookaburra balls especially suit him a lot more than the Dukes or the SG."

"So, I think Rohit Sharma, whichever match he plays or whenever he is available to play, in Australia, will have a big impact," Sridhar opined.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will be beginning on November 22 in Perth. Rohit Sharma is likely to miss one of the Tests due to personal reasons. In his absence, Jasprit Bumrah will take over as the captain for that particular game.