For the sake of argument, it is perhaps easy to fall into the home conditions trap. India’s batsmen, with the exception of Ajinkya Rahane, are generally very good at home and given how bereft of quality the South African spin attack is, it is tempting to say that any other out-of-favour opener (Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Murali Vijay) would have probably scored big against them too.
But the opportunity, at long last, fell to Rohit Sharma and he made it count with an unbeaten 115 before rain washed away the final session. India were 202 for no loss from 59.1 overs at stumps on the opening day of the first Test.
Let us not worry whether Sharma’s runs were made at home or away, rather let us focus on what the right-hander did during his innings.
India vs South Africa: Full coverage of the series
For starters, he showed application. He was mentally ready for the challenge that opening the batting presents in Test cricket. He left the deliveries outside the off-stump, didn’t chase the ball and looked prepared to wait for the loose delivery. He had clearly figured out the areas that he would look to avoid playing shots to and that was a big step in the right direction.
Secondly, he was in no rush. Too often, ODI specialists tend to go at the ball hard and want to play too many shots early on. They get used to the ball hitting the middle of the bat early in the innings and sometimes when they switch formats, they chase that feeling because it makes them feel comfortable. It is a double-edged sword but Sharma avoided it well. In the first 47 balls he faced, he scored only 19 runs.
Century in maiden innings as opener for India
187: Shikhar Dhawan, against Aus at Mohali in 2012/13
110: KL Rahul, against Australia at SCG in 2014/15
134: Prithvi Shaw, against WI at Rajkot in 2018/19
115*: Rohit Sharma, against SA at Vizag in 2019/20
Thirdly, he played it smart. Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander are quality but even to them, Sharma was quick to alter his tactics. Against Philander, who was bowling at around 128-130 kmph, he stood out of the crease… making it tougher for the bowler to swing the ball and taking LBW out of the equation too. With Rabada, he simply waited for the bowler to tire.
After being initially circumspect against Keshav Maharaj (SA’s most experienced spinner), he slowly started playing shots against him but never did he really go after him. That treatment was reserved for Dane Piedt (7-1-43-0) and Senuran Muthusamy (5-0-23-0). By attacking Piedt and Muthusamy, he also ensured that SA skipper Faf du Plessis really had only three bowlers to work with.
This may have been Rohit Sharma’s first innings as Test opener but he has performed that role for a long time in the shorter formats and the value of the experience showed during the knock. Once he got set, the manner in which he cleverly manipulated the field and the attack showed why India would love to see him make the position his own.
It is perhaps worth mentioning that Sharma’s home record was never a problem. He got a century on debut (177) and has scored all his centuries (including the one he got on Wednesday) at home. But he still needed to walk out to the middle and get the job done.
There is sometimes the danger of not staying in the moment and thinking too much about the past or the future. But Sharma stayed focussed on the job at hand and did not let his concentration waver for even a moment. This was high-quality Test batting.
Sharma has the highest average in Tests at home among Indians:
98.22* - Rohit Sharma
69.56 - Vijay Hazare
64.68 - Virat Kohli
We can’t hold his home record against him and argue that this wasn’t a challenge, so it doesn’t count. Rather, if anything, one hopes that knocks such as these will help him find his feet even when he goes abroad where he averages 26.32 after 18 Tests.
Confidence can be elusive – you never know when it will suddenly go missing. And when it does go missing, one needs an anchor. That is precisely why Sharma needs to make the most of the opportunity. These knocks will become his anchor in Test cricket, they will allow him to trust himself even more at a subconscious level.
For now, he has realised his initial goal – to make an impact. He has got to a hundred and looked very good while doing it. But now he needs to go big, get a double or maybe even triple. It will do wonders for his confidence and if nothing else, announce to the world that Rohit Sharma, the Test opener, has truly arrived.
