Sourav Ganguly, as captain of Indian team, turned around the career of Virender Sehwag by making him open in Test cricket. This was highly counter-intuitive as Sehwag was seen as a dasher ideally suited to limited-overs cricket. But the decision turned out to be a masterstroke.
Now, Dada has suggested that Rohit Sharma should go the same way and be given the opportunity to open the innings for India in Test cricket. However, his former teammate and captain Anil Kumble doesn't seem all that enthused by the idea.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, the former leg-spinner was asked whether he also thinks that Rohit can succeed at the top of the order. He responded: "You only know when you actually do that but I am not really sure about pushing Rohit at the top unless it is a desperate situation.
"Yes, are we in a desperate situation where we are looking for an opener in someone who has done well at the domestic level? Is it worth considering that or should Rohit? Yes, he is a high-quality player sitting on the bench, should he be pushed at the top?" Kumble told Hindustan Times.
What the former India captain is essentially saying is that there is no emergency as of now. Yes KL Rahul hasn't succeeded but there is another highly-talented player in Prithvi Shaw who, unfortunately, put himself out of reckoning with a doping violation. When he comes back, he may get another chance.
Prior to this comment by Kumble, Ganguly had said in his column for Times of India that Rohit's potential can fully be tapped by promoting him to open in Tests also.
"I had suggested earlier about trying Rohit Sharma as an opener in Test cricket and I still believe that he needs to be given an opportunity because he is too good a player to be left out in the cold. After a fantastic World Cup, I believe he will be itching to grab the opportunity to open in Tests.
"With Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari settling in nicely, there is not much left to play around in the middle order," Ganguly wrote.
Rohit is no stranger to Test cricket. He scored hundreds against West Indies in his first two Tests but then failed to cement his place in the team due to inconsistent performances outside India. It can be recalled that Sharma's ODI career was also in trouble until he was promoted to open the innings in January 2013. Let's see whether the same thing happens in Tests also.
