‘It felt like a second birth’: Rohit Sharma reveals how Virat Kohli revived his Test career

New Delhi: Team India captain Rohit Sharma has been hailed from all corners for his fearless approach and aggressive leadership in the hosts’ sensational 7-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the recently concluded 2nd Test at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Despite missing 200 overs of action after a two-day complete washout in a rain-ending Test match, India managed to force a result with excellent batting and exceptional bowling.

Rohit led from the front with the bat in India’s first innings on Day 4 and set the tone for the rest of the batters as he took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners. With a 7-wicket win in the 2nd Test, India registered a 2-0 clean sweep of the two-match series against Bangladesh to win their 18th consecutive Test series at home and remain at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points. Table.

Rohit, who has been receiving praise for his captaincy, recently credited former India captain Virat Kohli and former head coach Ravi Shastri for reviving his Test career and giving him a ‘second birth’ in the longest format. It was under Kohli’s captaincy in 2019 that Rohit got his first opportunity to open in Tests and since then the hitman has not looked back.

In an interview with Sports Presenter Jatin Sapru, Rohit opened up about the revival of his Test career and praised Kohli and Shastri for giving him the opportunity to open for India that changed his fortunes. Rohit, who made his Test debut for India in 2013, could not cement his place in the team. He usually bats in the middle order and played only 27 Tests till 2018 before Shastri and Kohli’s decision changed the trajectory of his Test career.

“In the second innings, I am very thankful to Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli for giving me a chance to bat up the order. It was not an easy decision to promote me in Tests. They trusted me. They asked me to play a practice match, which I did. I got out on the first ball but realized I had no choice. It felt like a second birth in Test cricket. Opening, no. I knew I had to take this opportunity, either batting at 5 or 6 or going down the order,” Rohit told Sapru on the show.

Rohit Sharma’s rise in Test cricket

Rohit’s Test revival began after his brilliant 176 against South Africa in October 2019 and has not looked back since. A prolific right-hander, he quickly established his credentials as one of the best openers in the longer format after years of dominating white-ball cricket.

Rohit scored only 1585 runs in 27 Tests before being supported by the Kohli-Shastri duo as regular openers. The hitman currently has 2594 runs in 34 Tests including 9 centuries and 7 fifties. He is the highest run-scorer for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) with 2594 runs from 34 matches at an average of over 47.

Support from Kohli and Shastri proved vital for Rohit as he successfully cemented his place in the longer format and continued to bat with his natural attacking approach. After Kohli stepped down in February 2022, Rohit took over as India’s full Test captain.

India continued their dominance in the whites under the captaincy of Rohit and are well on their way to a third consecutive WTC final after beating Bangladesh 2-0 in the recently concluded Test series. India lost last year’s WTC final against Australia under Rohit’s captaincy but will be hoping to end their wait for the elusive title next year.