Rohit Sharma's Test Journey: An Average Middle-Order Batter To A Fine Opener

Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket and bid farewell to a fine career which was divided into two distinct halves. He was a very mediocre middle-order batter for the first 27 matches of his Test career with a batting average of just under 40. However, just like in ODI cricket, his fortunes changed dramatically when he was pushed to open for the country. From the Visakhapatnam Test of 2019 till the Dharamsala Test of 2024, Rohit - the Test batter averaged 50 and was not only one of the premier openers in the world but also the leading batter for India in the format.
The Struggle Outside India
Rohit had a great start to his Test career with two hundreds in his first two appearances for India - against West Indies in Kolkata and Mumbai - but then witnessed a major slump in whites for India. He scored just 1585 runs in his first 27 Tests at an average of 39.6. Rohit had a very high Failure Rate of almost 50% and crossed the three-figure mark on just one more occasion in this time-frame - against Sri Lanka in Nagpur in 2017 - four years after his debut! Although he still had outstanding returns at home, Rohit had shocking numbers outside India scoring just 816 runs in 18 away Tests at an average of 26.3. He did not have a ton outside the country. Though a modern great in limited-overs' cricket, he was at the crossroads of his long-form career and time was running out fast for Rohit - the batter.
The Vizag Twin Tons
Rohit had a horrendous tour of South Africa and that was followed by a tough tour Down Under. The clamour for seeing him out of the Test XI increased. With
his career in the doldrums, Rohit was pushed to open for India as the very last resort. It turned out to be a masterstroke. Rohit made the opportunity count and how! He smashed a ton in both the innings of the series opener against South Africa in Vizag, becoming the sixth Indian batter to achieve the unique feat. The stunning performance gave rise to Rohit Sharma - the Test opener - and unleashed another chapter for India in Test cricket.
The Domination as Test Opener
From the Vizag Test in October, 2019 till the end of the home series against England in Dharamsala in March, 2024, Rohit - the Test opener - rose to new heights and was amongst the premier top-order batters in the world! He was the leading run-scorer amongst all openers in the world in this time-frame and piled on 2552 runs in 32 matches at an average of 50.03 with nine centuries and 7 fifties. Amongst the 15 openers who scored at least 1000 runs in a minimum of 10 Tests played in this period, only Dimuth Karunaratne (52.4) had a higher batting average than Rohit during this period. No opening batter recorded more tons than Rohit's 9 in these four and a half years.
Timing & Context of Performances
Rohit's rise as a Test opener coincided with a turbulent time for the Big 3 of India in the format. Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane had a poor run in 2020 and 2021. Kohli had an average of 26.1, Pujara - 26.2 and Rahane - 25 in this period and the onus was on Rohit to step up and make it count. Rohit towered above all other Indian batters in this time-frame (2020-2021) scoring 906 runs in just 11 Tests at an average of 47.68! His 161 off just 231 deliveries England in Chennai in 2021 (India were 0-1 down in the series) is widely rated amongst the greatest hundreds by any batter on Indian soil. Rohit played 20 Tests at home between Vizag, 2019 and Dharamsala, 2024 and hammered 1633 runs at an average of 54.43 and strike rate of 65.4. No Indian scored more runs than Rohit at home in this time-frame. The rate at which he scored his runs was also significant as not only did it demoralized the opposition bowlers but also created enough time for the Indian bowlers to bowl the opposition out twice.
The Overseas Transformation
While Rohit always had a fine record in India, the big change in his Test career came in his overseas performances. He scored 919 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 43.76 with two centuries and five fifties away from India in this period. From his opening partnership with Shubman Gill in Brisbane and Sydney to his 83 in the massive win at Lord's to finally recording his first overseas hundred - in the Oval Test of September 2021, Rohit the opener grew in stature and contributed to some of India's most significant wins away from home during this period.
Rohit suffered a major dip in his form in the last eight Tests of his career and scored just 164 runs in 15 innings at an average of 10.93. These included two home Tests against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand and three away Tests in Australia. However, his most significant achievement in the longest format was the contribution he made as opener - raising his game, under pressure when the chips were down for India in the period between October, 2019 and March, 2024 - a period when most of the other Indian batters struggled, Rohit rose to the occasion and scored tough runs when his team needed him the most. And that is his biggest legacy to Indian Test cricket!

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