Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has advocated for the inclusion of Rohit Sharma in the Indian Test squad and wants him to be played as an opener. India's opening woes in overseas conditions have been well documented and Sehwag wants Kohli to rope in Rohit, who is the opener in limited-overs format, as a Test match opener as well.
"India have different openers for all three formats. Virat Kohli needs to find out that one perfect pair who can open innings for India in all three formats. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan is a good option but for that, India will have to play Rohit at the opening slot in Tests as well," Sehwag told IndiaTV.
'Prithvi Shaw can wait'
India has tried three opening combinations in the Test series, but their woes have not disappeared. Speaking about this constant chopping and changing, Sehwag said that his own combination with Gautam Gambhir was successful because they opened in all the three formats and hence established a good relationship.
The Indian selectors included young Prithvi Shaw in the squad but Sehwag believes that Rohit should be given a chance before Shaw.
"Prithvi Shaw might get a chance in the fifth Test. But I believe, Rohit deserves a chance before the young chap. India can try Rohit first and then call up Prithvi if he fails to deliver. They can keep Prithvi Shaw in the squad as a third opener. In that way, he'll get to learn a lot in the presence of senior players," he said.
Rohit has not had an entirely successful Test career in the middle order and facing the new ball is going to be a different challenge altogether, but Sehwag believes that it is all about the mindset and how one adapts to different situations.
"Some people say you have to change your technique when you play Test cricket after limited-over format. But I believe, you should play your natural game no matter which format you bat in. You just need the right mindset not the technique to play in different formats," Sehwag asserted.
