India vs Australia: Motivated Rohit Sharma enters unfamiliar territory as Sydney test awaits

After months of uncertainty, it is now clear Rohit Sharma will play in Australia. Ever since he picked up a hamstring injury in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 and was left out of all three squads for the ongoing tour, the biggest topic of discussion has been Rohit.

However, after recovering from the injury while being in rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and spending 14 days in hard quarantine, the India opener is back, this time as Test vice-captain!

Team India is excited to have Rohit back. In the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit's presence in the playing XI will certainly add firepower. Over the years, Rohit has made a name for himself as one of the most dangerous openers and the thought of seeing Rohit bat after an hour or so into the Indian innings should be unsettling for Australia.

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Ajinkya Rahane, the stand-in captain, acknowledges the value that Rohit brings to the side. "We are excited to have him back. He has experience at the highest level, which matters a lot. He had good sessions at the nets, came to Melbourne and started practice straightaway. He has been batting really well," Rahane said on the eve of the 3rd Test in Sydney.

"In the last couple of series, Rohit opened the innings for us, so you will definitely see him at the top."

When India realised Rohit has the ammunition to attack in Tests

India have had issues with the opening spot in Test cricket for quite some time. Especially on overseas tours, it's literally been a musical chair. Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw are some of the names who have played at the top over the last few years.

But there was an inspired move during the 2019 home season from the team management. Rohit was asked to open the batting in Test cricket, something that the limited-overs giant had been longing for after having reached the peak in limited-overs cricket.

Head coach Ravi Shastri was apparently behind the move to try out Rohit as an opener in red-ball cricket too. Better late than never, uh?

"What I understood watching and seeing, that this guy should not be waiting to bat. Why is he successful in the one-day game? Because he goes and takes the charge. The bowler is not set, he is not set, so they start afresh. So, if he gets away, he has the ammunition to attack," Shastri said in December 2019.

Rohit's dream 2nd innings as opener

Rohit has hit 3 hundreds, including a double ton, as Test opener (AFP Photo)

Rohit didn't disappoint when he got the opportunity. In his first Test match as an opener, the Mumbai batsman showcased his much-talked-about appetite for daddy hundreds, this time in whites. Rohit battered a visiting South African bowling attack in Visakhapatnam, scoring 176 and 127. In the final match of the series, Rohit scored his first double hundred as a Test batsman.

Rohit had played 27 matches before he was promoted to open the batting. Having predominantly played in the middle-order, Rohit was not able to replicate his white-ball exploits in the longest format of the game. Just like many other limited-overs giants, Rohit was all but written off as a Test player.

However, the opener's role has seen him revive his Test career. In 5 Tests as opener, Rohit has hit 556 runs, including 3 daddy hundreds. India finally found a reliable Test opener after several futile attempts.

Odds against motivated comeback man Rohit

It is safe to say Rohit is one of the most improved red-ball cricketers going around. However, for more evidence, the star batsman had to prove his mettle overseas.

A lot was expected of him before India's tour of New Zealand last year but the opening batsman was ruled out with an injury as India were thrashed 2-0 in the series.

Rohit has played in whites in Australia before. In 5 matches, he has scored 279 runs at an average of 31. He has two fifties and a highest score of 63 not out. In fact, Rohit played a key role in India's 2-1 series win during their 2018-19 tour, hitting 101 runs in 2 Tests.

However, an unfamiliar challenge awaits Rohit. The 33-year-old will be keen on making sure his second innings in Tests is a lengthy and memorable one.

But it's going to be a big challenge for him. Rohit has not played red-ball cricket for more than a year. He has had to stay indoors in quarantine for a couple of weeks and has had only a handful of net sessions in the lead up to the 3rd Test. Also, Rohit was among the 5 cricketers who were embroiled in a controversy when Cricket Australia inquired about an alleged bio-bubble breach following their visit to a restaurant in Melbourne.

Rohit's technical and mental strength will be put to test in the last 2 matches of this Australian tour. There's no doubt that the India opener is motivated to play in Australia and his experience will certainly come in handy. India will need the veteran opener to fire especially when the series is leveled at 1-1 and getting spiced up after all the off-field controversies over the last week.

The Australians will come hard at Rohit, who replaces an out-of-form Mayank Agarwal. But as Pragyan Ojha and Deep Dasgupta point out, the Hitman has it in him to rally against the odds and deliver for India.

A couple of solid blocks or a flowing drive early on will not just give Rohit confidence but also boost the morale of young Shubman Gill, who will be itching to build on a solid start to his Test career.