Rohit Sharma says drawn Test gives them confidence before moving to Melbourne, also discusses his own form

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma believes the drawn Test match against Australia at the Gabba, Brisbane has given them confidence before they move their bags to Melbourne. Australia posted a par score of 445 runs on the board in the first innings after Travis Head and Steve Smith scored 152 and 101 runs respectively.

India had their backs against the wall at 74-5 but valuable fifties from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja helped the visitors bounce back into the contest. Furthermore, a 47-run 10-wicket alliance between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah helped India in saving the follow-on.

In the second innings, Australia declared at 89-7, setting a target of 275 runs in 54 overs for the visitors but only 2.1 overs were possible in India’s second batting innings due to poor light and rain.

“There’s pressure on the other team too,” Rohit said. “Until you put some pressure on the other team you won’t come to know how they react under pressure. When we were here last, we had chased 320-330 [328] on the last day and they’ll remember that in the back of their mind, they know we are capable of chasing like this. Whatever happened today, it gave us confidence ahead of Melbourne. We’re aware we have to start from scratch, conditions are different there and the ball may not move around so much there like it did here. We have to analyse all this and proceed.”

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has failed to deliver with the bat, returning with scores of 3, 6, and 10 while batting in the middle order in the ongoing series. Sharma admitted he is batting well in the nets and needs to spend more time in the middle.

“Yeah, I have not batted well. There is no harm in accepting that,” said Rohit at the post-match press conference. “But I know what’s in my mind. How I am preparing myself. All those boxes are very much ticked. It’s just about spending as much time as possible [batting].

“Which I am pretty sure I am just there. As long as my mind, my body, my feet are moving well. I am pretty happy with how things are panning out for me. Sometimes those numbers can tell you that it’s been a while since he has got big runs. But for a person like me, I think it’s all about how I feel in my mind. What kind of prep I am having before each game. And how I am feeling about myself. That’s the most important thing.”

“And I am feeling good about myself, to be honest. Yeah, runs are obviously not showing that. But inside it’s a different feeling.”

The fourth Test match between India and Australia will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground from 26th December.