Rohit’s foot doesn’t move as much as it should in the first few overs – Sunil Gavaskar urges Indian opener to tackle Mitchell Starc with guile

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar wants Indian captain Rohit Sharma to be at his best while playing Mitchell Starc with the new red ball in the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia. Gavaskar feels Rohit’s foot doesn’t move as much as it should in the first few overs, which could land him in trouble.

Rohit scored 91 runs in three Test matches against the Kiwis at an average of 15.17 whereas he could only manage 42 runs in two Test matches at an average of 10.50 against Bangladesh. 

The veteran batter has scored 708 runs in 12 Test matches against Australia at an average of 33.71 and thus doesn’t have a great record against the Australians.

“At the start, he can be troubled by Mitchell Starc’s lengths and lines. What happens often with Rohit is that his foot doesn’t move as much as it should in the first few overs of the contest, because of which he gets into trouble. But, if he can survive the first two-three overs, he can score runs. He needs to get the shot selection right. That’s not just for Rohit Sharma, but for any batter,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

Rohit is expected to miss the opening Test at Perth due to personal reasons.

Gavaskar feels if the batters can show resistance in the first hour of play, they can definitely score runs on the Australian pitches.

“Like I said, Australian pitches are good for batters. And they use Kookaburra ball. It doesn’t swing or seam much after the first 15 overs. Test cricket is a five-day match. If you show some restraint in the first session, then you can score runs,” Gavaskar added.

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.