India captain Rohit Sharma has backed Virat Kohli to overcome his problems with deliveries outside the off-stump in Australia, saying on Tuesday that players of his calibre always find a way to succeed.
Kohli arrested a long run of poor form with an unbeaten century in the first test in Perth but has frequently chased balls moving away from his stumps in the current five-match series, resulting in his dismissal.
“Modern-day greats will figure out their own ways (to deal with the issue),” Rohit told reporters ahead of the Boxing Day test in Melbourne.
Rohit’s own batting frailties in the longest format have been laid bare in recent matches. The captain has managed scores of three, six and 10 since rejoining the team for the second test following the birth of his son.
His move to the middle order has done little to inspire confidence but Rohit was tight-lipped about a potential switch back to the opening slot where he can be devastating.
“Let’s not worry about that. I think ‘who bats where?’ is something that we need to figure out within ourselves. It’s not a thing I should be discussing in every press conference.
“Whatever it takes for our team to look good or gives us the best chance to succeed, we’ll try and do that.”
After winning the first test by 295 runs, India crashed to a 10-wicket defeat in Adelaide before battling to a draw in the rain-hit third match in Brisbane.
“At 1-1, I think it’s a fair reflection,” Rohit added.
“Both teams have played solid cricket and these two tests are going to be so important for both teams.
“We want to break it down to Melbourne and focus on what we can achieve here, get things right and play well.”
India added uncapped Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian to the squad for the final two tests after ruling out the inclusion of seamer Mohammed Shami due to a knee injury.
(Reuters)
