Rohit Sharma’s big knock is round the corner: Aakash Chopra backs Indian opener to deliver in second innings

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra feels Rohit Sharma’s big knock is around the corner as he has looked in good form.

Rohit has done the hard work in the series but still a big knock has eluded him. The veteran Indian batsman faced 105 balls to score 19 runs in the first innings and backed his defense in the tough conditions in the ongoing Leeds Test.

The Indian openers have been in good form whereas the middle order has struggled to get going in the last couple of years and thus the onus will be on Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to deliver for the team in the second essay.

In fact, Rohit faced 105 balls and this was the seventh time when he faced more than 100 balls in overseas conditions. Rohit has shown all the patience in his batting and it is only a matter of time before he scores a big one.

The opening batsman has been dismissed on three occasions while trying to play the hook and the pull shot in the series and it was a half-hearted shot which led to his dismissal in the first innings.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “When someone puts in that much effort, standing firmly for 100-odd balls. 75 balls and 15 runs in the first session on Day 1 of the third Test match. Sometime or the other you will benefit from that. He has sown the seeds, it is now time for the plant to grow.”

“The pitch that is going to be there in the second innings is quite alright. It is still a very flat surface. The sideways movement has already completely finished and there is not much swing in the air as well. In fact, when the play started on the second day the conditions were overcast and despite that, the ball did not move.”

Rohit had scored a fine knock of 83 runs in the first innings of the Lord’s Test and had added 126 runs with KL Rahul. The right-hander has looked confident in his approach and Chopra expects the Mumbai batsman to score more freely in the second innings. Rohit has scored 171 runs in five innings at an average of 42.75 in the ongoing series.

“In the third day’s play, he will bat with a lot more freedom, that’s what I am expecting from Rohit Sharma. Play cautiously for some time but after that free-flowing shots, through the covers, back-foot punch. He needs to be slightly wary of the pull but other than that I feel Rohit Sharma should play a big innings. His big innings is round the corner.”