The India vs England series was in many ways an acid Test for Rohit Sharma and Co. Not only India were facing an opponent which had won almost everything that came their way in the past couple of years, the hosts were missing top stars too. Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami missed the entire series for various reasons while injury and poor form ruled out some other big names. India gave debut to the likes of Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep, Rajat Patidar and yet sealed the series with one match to go. Going into the final Test of the series, India are leading 3-1.
Former Indian cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar said that India must feel proud of the achievement. He also added that it’s a message to the big names who think India can’t win without them.
“Three years back, India missed a lot of big names in Australia but they still managed to pull off a fantastic win not just in Gabba. After getting all out in Adelaide for 36 they won in Melbourne and drew in Sydney. They battled hard to save the Sydney Test match. If Rishabh Pant stayed on the crease for half an hour then India could have won that match as well. But the Heart and application the young Indian players showed during that Australia tour was visible even this time around against England,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
“That’s why I always say, you don’t need big names… If any big name thinks that India won’t win without him these two series have shown that whether you are there or not…Cricket is a team sport. It doesn’t depend on one individual.
“Credit must go to the way captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid have managed the team. They gave chances to the young players, moulded them, and encouraged them to play their natural game. This shows that whether we have big names or not, if we have players with big hearts then we can win.”
While many youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan have so far starred in the series, former Australia captain Ian Chappel made sure that the leadership skills of Rohit is also among the most talked topics. Chappel feels that Rohit’s ability as a leader is “often overlooked”.
“In the sudden shuffling of the Indian side after a prolonged period of selection stability, the leadership of Rohit Sharma is often overlooked. Rohit, in his quiet but efficient way, is a very different leader from the aggressive and highly visible Ben Stokes. His capable handling of the many changes to personnel and the tough loss of the first Test shows his resilience. He also produced a masterful century when the Indian team needed it, at the start of the third Test, to confirm he wasn’t a ceremonial captain,” wrote Chappell on ESPNcricinfo.
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