Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja examine the pitch forward of the second Test towards South Africa in Cape Town.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Some comparatively inexperienced younger Indian batters are taking up South Africa in difficult circumstances, however captain Rohit Sharma believes they should at one level be ready for the job.
“We have to accept what is in front of us, whether it is two Test matches or five Test matches and have to play it,” he stated. “About these three guys (Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer), they have been around the team for a number of years. At some stage, they all need to get exposed to conditions like this, bowling like this, they all have to do it. We all have done it.”
Rohit stated it was additionally a possibility. “I am sure they have learnt a lot from the first game they have played,” he stated. “It is challenging, but that is what Test cricket is about.”
He reiterated his backing for Prasidh Krishna, regardless of the seamer’s struggles on his Test debut. “We all get nervous when you are playing your first game,” he stated. “He has got the ability to succeed at this level, especially in this format.”
Looking forward to the Test, he stated he felt the wicket wasn’t too completely different from the one at Centurion. “Overhead conditions will matter and it is quite hot here,” he stated. “We know exactly what is required when conditions are like that. Based on how the pitch is, how the conditions are, we have to respond to that.”
Rohit paid a tribute to South Africa’s stand-in captain Dean Elgar, who’s retiring from worldwide cricket. “He has been their mainstay for a number of years now and scored a lot of runs against us,” he stated. “He puts a lot of weightage on his wicket. He doesn’t throw it away. You have got to get him out.”
About South Africa sending a vastly inexperienced facet to New Zealand on a Test tour, Rohit stated loads of thought should be given to Test cricket. “It is the ultimate challenge you face in this sport,” he stated. “You want to see the best cricket being played in Tests.”
