Comeback and testing time for Sharma & Saha

After a long ‘forced’ hiatus Rohit Sharma & Wriddhiman Saha are back in ‘Whites’ and playing the first test match against South Africa. It’s going to be testing time for the duo as there will be lot of pressure and expectations on both of them.

Recalled in the test squad, Rohit Sharma is opening the innings for the first time in his career. He has already scored a half century in the ongoing match.Former dashing cricketer Yuvraj Singh is of the view that Rohit Sharma should have opened the innings right from the start of the career. In an interview, he said

If you ask me, Rohit Sharma should have opened in Tests from the beginning of his career. You play him one match and then drop him and say Rohit Sharma is not scoring runs in Test cricket. How can you expect someone to perform without giving him 10 Test? Now if you are making Rohit Sharma open in Tests, you should give him 6 Tests and tell him Rohit, you have got 10-12 innings, go and play your game, nobody will say anything. You gave so many chances to KL Rahul, so whoever is your opener, give him those 6 Test matches so that he can go and express his game.

With the kind of form Sharma was in the World Cup 2019, there is no doubt over his form. He will just have to play the waiting game and wait for one big innings at the top to be a natural choice for the opening slot.

A lot has been spoken about Rishabh Pant and him not being able to live up to the expectations. To strengthen the wicket keeping link, Wriddhiman Saha is back in the squad after more than a year and half. The last time Saha appeared in Test for India was in January 2018 against South Africa. As compared to Pant, Saha has better keeping skills and also plays sensible innings when it comes to batting. Saha was the first choice of keeper after MS Dhoni decided to hang up his boots from the test matches. Saha was doing quite well until he suffered from injury.
Captain Kohli has full confidence in Saha and on the eve of the first test match he said

Yes, Saha is fit and fine to go. He is going to start the series for us. His keeping credentials are there for everyone to see. He has done well with the bat whenever he has got a chance, it was unfortunate that he was out with an injury. According to me he is the best keeper the world. With these conditions he starts for us.

The margin of error is very low and any bad performance can lead to replacement as the bench strength is very strong. It will only add to the confidence of the players if they are given a longer run and more chances to prove themselves.

With the current test series versus South Africa underway, it will be more than a decider for Sharma & Saha as they are already in their mid-thirties. for more updates, keep reading www.shamsnwags.com for more updates.