'Be unorthodox, use your feet, get to the pitch of the ball' – Rohit explains how to bat on turners in India

The lead up to the first Test of the series was dominated by how the pitch was going to be a turner, how it looked, how there were patches outside the off stump for left-hand batters to help India’s spinners as Australia played as many as four left-hand batters in the top seven. India’s frontline batters also didn’t succeed much against spin but Rohit showed the way with his knock of 120 and later explained how he had prepared for such pitches.

“The last few years the kind of pitches we have been playing in India, you got to have application, a clear mindset and some sort of plan about how you want to go about and get those runs,” Rohit said at the presentation. “Since I started opening the batting, I have tried to figure out what can threaten me when I’m batting, and working out my methods of scoring runs. I have grown up playing a lot in Mumbai on surfaces which turn a lot. I feel you need to be unorthodox as well, you need to use your feet, you need to get to the pitch of the ball, and at the same time try and put pressure on the bowler as well.

“You can’t let the bowler bowl six balls on the spot, you got to try and do something different, and that something different can be your way of doing it, whether it’s stepping down the ground, sweeping, reverse sweeping, going over the top…there are so many things that you can do and it’s important when you play on pitches like that, you need to understand what is your strength, what are the things you can do, and not look at anyone else. I tried to figure out what are things I can do and I just try and go an apply myself out in the middle.”

He is also pleased to have put his hand up with a match-winning century at the start of a high-profile series, which carries crucial points to decide the finalists for the World Test Championship (WTC) in June. Rohit acknowledged that his knock of 120 was “special,” given India’s standing in the WTC table and that he had been returning to Tests after injuries, having played only two matches in the format in 2022.

“Yeah, it was [a special hundred], considering a lot of things,” Rohit said at the presentation. “It was the start of the series, very important where we stand in the championship table, it was important for us to start well. We know when you’re playing a series like this it’s important to start well and I was happy that I could put up a performance which could help the team.”

Rohit was named India’s full-time Test captain in February last year but he played only two of India’s five Tests since then, missing the Birmingham Test in England in July because of a Covid infection, and the two Tests in Bangladesh late last year because of a “freak” thumb injury. In fact, Rohit had missed eight of India’s last 10 Test matches before arriving in Nagpur.

“Ya, I was unfortunate I had to miss a few Test matches because of injuries but I’m happy that I’m back and doing well for the team,” he said. “Yes, since I was appointed as the Test captain I played only two Test matches, I got Covid in England, and then I had to miss three Test matches in South Africa because of injury, and again a freak injury in Bangladesh with my thumb. All those things can happen when you are playing for a long time, but I’ve had a lot of injuries in the past so I know how to come back from those and be ready for it, and I was pretty much ready for this one as well. Like I said, we wanted to start well and I’m glad we could put in a performance like that.”

More to follow…

Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo