If Rohit Sharma plays out the first 10-12 overs, he will do well in England: Yuzvendra Chahal

Team India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has backed opener Rohit Sharma to do well in England. India will play the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand in England, which will be followed by five Tests against the hosts.

Rohit Sharma has played only one Test in England, and that too in the middle-order, back in 2014. Despite the lack of experience, Chahal is confident of Rohit Sharma doing well as an opener if he gets his eye in.

In an interview with Sports Tak, Chahal asserted:

“Rohit Sharma’s batting is on a completely different level. I enjoy watching him bat. As a Test opener, this will be his first visit to England. If he can play out the first 10-12 overs, he can definitely do well even if the opposition has legends like James Anderson and Stuart Broad in their ranks. As we have seen, if he plays 80-90 balls, he often ends up scoring a hundred. If our openers manage to play the new ball well, then England will find it difficult to contain our middle-order.”

Chahal also expressed confidence over India winning both the WTC final and the England series.

He opined:

“India will win World Test Championship (WTC) final. Medium-pacer usually do well in England conditions. But our main spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have made an impact even away from home. They manage to take two-three key wickets irrespective of the surface and then also chip in with the bat. So that is a big plus for us. England do not possess the kind of quality spinners that we do.”

I'm sure Rohit Sharma will fulfil his responsibility in England: Coach Dinesh Lad

Even as there are some question marks over Rohit Sharma’s ability as an overseas Test opener, his coach Dinesh Lad is confident the Mumbai batsman will rise to the challenge in England. In 20 away Tests, Rohit Sharma has only managed 945 runs at an average of 27.

Speaking to India TV, Lad asserted that Rohit Sharma has it in him to succeed in England.

He stated:

"Not only Rohit but all Indian batsmen will have some trouble facing the Duke ball in English conditions. However, once Rohit gets his feet on the crease, then it is very difficult to get him out.

"Rohit had a great performance in the red-ball leg of Australia tour. He'll be trusted at the top in England too and I'm sure he will fulfil his responsibility. In English conditions, I am hopeful that he will perform in the WTC final too."

34-year-old Rohit Sharma has played 38 Tests so far and has 2615 runs to his name at an average of 46.69 with seven hundreds and 12 fifties.