"We have to persist with him"- Dilip Doshi wants Team India to back Rohit Sharma in Tests

Former spinner Dilip Doshi believes Team India needs to persist with Rohit Sharma in Test matches as he is one of the best batsmen in world cricket at the moment.

The Mumbai Indians skipper showed glimpses of his class in the final two Tests against Australia recently. However, he was guilty of not going on after getting decent starts.

In the two Test matches against Australia, Rohit Sharma finished with 129 runs at an average of 32.25, scoring one fifty. However, many experts felt that the Indian star threw his wicket away in most of the innings through a rash shot. Dilip Doshi, meanwhile, defended Rohit Sharma and said stroke-makers like him play on impulse. Speaking exclusively to Indranil Basu on SK Live, Doshi said:

"Rohit is one of the best batsmen we have, and we have to persist with him. We got to give him a run, and we need to tell him that you need to settle down, and people should be able to explain the role that you expect from Rohit. He is an outstanding batsman, a stroke maker, and he's got a lot of time on his hands to play his shots. Of course, he is impetuous. All the great stroke makers are. Stroke making comes with impetuosity. So you cant take it away. Otherwise, he will become not a Rohit Sharma; we want him to be."

Dilip Doshi also added that Rohit Sharma will need to find a way to balance his game according to the situation.

"But he himself will have to balance it out, looking at the need of the hour. He defended his dismissal at 44 (in the Brisbane Test). As a teammate, i would have loved if he'd saw the timeout and he starts fresh next morning, but that's Rohit. You have to accept that." added Doshi.

Nathan Lyon's 397th Test wicket seemed to come out of nowhere and the Aussies were pumped! #OhWhatAFeeling #AUSvIND | @Toyota_Aus pic.twitter.com/rIhl4ZjbTu

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 16, 2021

Rohit Sharma has emerged as a stalwart of Indian cricket over the past decade especially in white-ball cricket. However, he is yet to establish himself in the Test circuit.

Rohit Sharma had no regrets after his dismissal

The 33-year-old faced a lot of criticism for the way he got out on the second day of the fourth Test off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. The right-handed batsman was caught at long on while playing an expansive shot.

However, after the day's play, Sharma went on to say he didn't regret playing a shot like that as his role in the team is to play positive cricket.

"Once I was in, and I had played a few overs, I realised there was not much swing, so I did little adjustment there, after that, it was an unfortunate dismissal, it is something I won't regret," said Sharma.

Rohit Sharma will get another chance to cement his place in the Test setup when India takes on England in the four-match Test series starting next month. The Indian batsman has a terrific record in Tests in home conditions and averages 88.33. He will be looking to make some big scores after missing out in Australia.

Blocked... for four! Live #AUSvIND: https://t.co/qvYTMSiZsl pic.twitter.com/YxmdjNVHLO

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 16, 2021