Rohit Sharma combines restraint with destruction to answer India's opening conundrum

NICK HOWSON: A century in his maiden Test as an opener against South Africa represents the perfect start - though tougher challenges are still to come

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After an Ashes summer in which Steve Smith flirted with reaching the level of dominance only previously seen during Don Bradman's career, Rohit Sharma is now the latest figure to dare to rival the Australian legend. Following his century in the first innings as India took on South Africa in Visakhapatnam, Rohit now has the joint-highest average in home Tests alongside Bradman, of players who have completed 15 or more innings.

Rohit's relatively short five-day career makes the stats relatively inconsequential and almost regardless of what he goes on to achieve during the rest of his international career, it is inconceivable that the current figure of 98.22 will remain in-tact for much longer. Bradman retired on such an eye-watering number, of course.

And the reality is that the statistic overshadows the significance of the display which took him there. Rohit's century could finally help deliver the answer to one of the key questions surrounding the India Test team. After having built a reputation as one of the most formidable white-ball openers in history, the 32-year-old has proved, at least initially, that he has the taste for the red-ball game in the most difficult position of all.

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It is somewhat remarkable that after 27 ODI centuries, including three of the eight double hundreds made in 50-over history, that it has taken as long as 12 years into Rohit's India career for him to be moved to the top of the Test order. And though hardly prolific against the red-ball, his three three-figure scores and 10 fifties were evidence he had the aptitude to build an innings at this level.

Mayank Agarwal nailed down one of the opening positions in the West Indies and after KL Rahul was dropped, Rohit has been installed for the three-Test South Africa tour. Despite his substantial ODI returns, this move still felt like a last-ditch attempt to answer one of the team's burning questions, rather than a genuine antidote.

Aaron Finch and Jason Roy's issues in replicating their white-ball form in the Test arena proved that despite Rohit having a credible body of work, a transition to the top of the order is fraught with problems. Adapt or die, is the warning.

But if Rohit proved one thing during his fourth Test century it was he can tinker with his technique without hindering his fluidity. It might be early days, but there is ample reason to be encouraged. He kept his cool early on amid a barrage of tight bowling from new-ball pair Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander, albeit on a pitch possessing few demons.

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Rohit Sharma continued to play his shots despite his new surroundings

If and when the ball did move, he would shuffle down the track to negate any swing and then, on a flattish pitch, cashed in with the same fluency and panache we have come to expect. Keshav Maharaj and Dane Piedt were cannon-fodder as Rohit displayed his attacking instincts, smashing five sixes and 12 fours on day one. The manner in which he waltzed down the wicket at regular intervals betrayed the pressure of the occasion.

His unbeaten 115 came from 174 deliveries, a strike-rate of 66.09. Though boundary-laden, it was still slower than his ODI hundred against The Proteas during the World Cup, scored at 84.72. It highlights that while Rohit remains keen to stay on top of an attack, he will not take any undue risks.

There are mitigating circumstances, of course. This is not a vintage South Africa bowling battery, nor is this pitch at the Dr Y.S Rajasekhara Cricket Stadium anything other than relatively benign, for not. But this was an impressive start from Rohit, which even he admits has been a long-time coming. 

“The talk was going on for a long time about me opening the innings,” he told the media following the century. “In the West Indies they told me it was going to happen now.

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The question now is if Rohit Sharma can make the opening spot his own

”I was prepared for the past two years actually that at some stage I might have to open, so mentally I was ready for it. Opening the batting in red-ball cricket is a different ball game compared to limited-overs. So of course, it's just that mentally you have to train your mind, more than anything else.

“Technically, yes you've got to look into it. There are certain aspects of batting where you need to look into it. But more than that I feel mentally you've got to challenge yourself as to how you're going to manage to play the new ball and then take the game forward.”

Big challenges are still to come, not least the prospect of opening across all formats and then facing New Zealand next year when pitches will be greener and the ball will move more discernibly. But one thing is for certain, he is Nohit no more.

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