Despite putting up a strong performance throughout the tournament, India fell short of clinching the ODI World Cup trophy, as they lost to Australia by six wickets on the night of the finals. It left Rohit without an ODI World Cup title in his collection, which seemed painful as the skipper led by example during the marquee tournament. However, as per former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, the 36-year-old has an opportunity for redemption and that is by beating South Africa in the upcoming two-match series.
Notably, India has never won a Test series on South African soil and hence, the Rohit Sharma-led side has a perfect opportunity to write history. Speaking about the same, Gavaskar mentioned that the opener will be extremely vital in the teams’s success in the upcoming series and expects him to play a key role.
“Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have really been at the peak of their powers in the last 6-8 months. Rohit is going to be key for India in the Test series. Rohit will have a big role to play in setting up the batters coming after him at three, four, and five. Whatever happens, this is Rohit Sharma's opportunity to make up for the World Cup final loss,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
This can be India’s best chance to win a series against South Africa as many of their primary pacers are out with their respective injuries. Kagiso Rabada will be available but the likes of Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala are not part of the squad. Lungi Ngidi’s injury is currently being monitored and a call will be made after the conclusion of the ODI series.
India’s pace battery however looks strong. Jasprit Bumrah will play his first Test in almost 18 months while Mohammed Siraj is in fine rhythm at the moment. Mohammed Shami’s injury is a bit of a concern but the cricketer is expected to recover soon and travel with the squad for the South Africa series. In case he misses out, either Mukesh Kumar or Prasidh Krishna will feature in the XI.
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