He ‘walks the talk’: Zaheer Khan lauds Rohit Sharma’s captaincy

Rohit will be seen in action during India's five-Test match series against England starting from January 25

Mumbai: Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan lauded skipper Rohit Sharma for his captaincy, saying he “walks the talk”.

Rohit will be seen in action during India’s five-Test match series against England starting from January 25.

---

Speaking on JioCinema, Zaheer said everyone knows of the influence and impact that Rohit has had on the whole group.

“He talks about communication. He gives enough confidence to every player and brings out the best in them. That has been the hallmark of his captaincy and he leads from the front as seen in the World Cup. He walks the talk. When you have a leader walking the talk, it gives you better efficiency within the whole group. So, I think he is a proven leader,” said Zaheer.

The pacer went on to point out that since Rohit has played as an opener in Tests, he has got some brilliant centuries in tough conditions, most notably in England, where he left the ball well whenever needed. Zaheer also said that Rohit will have to work things out about rotating players in the five-match series and get the maximum out of all players available.

“Since the time Rohit has been an opener in Tests, he has scored some brilliant hundreds in the toughest of conditions. You have seen him adapt nicely in England when it came to leaving the ball. He said that he had worked a lot on it. You have seen that in Chennai when he played a match-defining knock. Winning the toss, batting first and getting the opposition completely out in the first innings and being instrumental in that is something which gives satisfaction to any player, playing at the highest level,” said Zaheer.

“So, he has had that kind of impact as well. You will see something on those lines in this series. It is a five-Test series so there will be a lot on his mind, not just as a batter but also as a leader. He has to work it out with Rahul Dravid and the selectors to see how he can rotate players. Both teams will be looking to do that because a five-Test series brings its own challenges and you got to be staying on top of that tactically, planning about the resources that are more useful in which conditions and get the maximum impact from every individual,” he added.

Rohit has a fine record against England, scoring 747 runs in 17 innings and nine Tests at an average of 49.80, with two centuries and three fifties. His best score is 161.

The Indian skipper is strong in Indian conditions, having scored 2,002 runs in 24 Tests at an average of 66.73, with eight centuries and six fifties in 36 innings. His best score is 212. In 29 Tests as an opener, Rohit has scored 2,152 runs in 45 innings at an average of 51.23, with seven centuries and six fifties.

During England’s last tour to India back in 2021, Rohit scored 345 runs in four Tests at an average of 57.50, with a century and fifty in seven innings. His best score was 161.
During his last competitive cricket outing, the recent T20I series against Afghanistan this month, Rohit scored two ducks before launching Afghanistan bowlers all over the park for 121* in 69 balls, with 11 fours and eight sixes.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has received a maiden call-up for the Indian Test squad for the first two Tests. However, injured star pacer Mohammed Shami, who continues to recover from his injury, was not named in the squad. India batter Ishan Kishan, who had asked for a break previously during the South Africa tour and Afghanistan T20Is, was not included in the squad.

Rohit will lead the team, with star pacer Jasprit Bumrah taking up the role of vice-captain.

India has added three wicketkeepers, KL Rahul, KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel, to the squad.

India named four spinners–Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav–in the Test squad for the first two matches.

Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mukesh Kumar are also part of the 16-member squad.

The middle-order positions are occupied by Virat Kohli, Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill in the batting lineup.

Squad for first two Tests against England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC) and Avesh Khan.