India's batting depth giving liberty to play aggressively: Rohit Sharma

Kolkata, Oct 2 (IANS) India's batting depth has helped their star top-order psychologically, affording the strokemakers more liberty to play their shots, middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma said here on Sunday.

"Yes, psychologically it helps the top-order. They can play their shots if they want to. But I am sure at no point they must be thinking that (the lower-order will chip in), because every batsmen who goes in the middle wants to score runs," Rohit told the media after the third day's play of the second cricket Test against New Zealand at the Eden Gardens here.

India's lower order has repeatedly come good in recent times with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha scoring vital runs and cobbling up useful partnerships, which have shaped the fate of the match.

Both during the away series against the West Indies and the ongoing one opposite the Kiwis, the lower order has been delivering regularly.

"That depth gives you a leverage to play your shots and be aggressive. Even in the West Indies our tail-enders batted like proper lower-order batsmen. Ashwin has got Test hundreds, Saha has got hundred, Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Prasad) occasionally has scored a fifty - (Ravindra) Jadeja has scored runs," said Rohit.

He said in all the teams across the world, their lower middle-order has made an impact in the game.

"We wanted to crate that in our team as well so I am glad that it is happening. Speaking is one thing and going out there and doing it is another. We are actually doing it. We are happy with that," he said.

Asked whether it was difficult to maintain the ball for reverse swing on the uneven bounce of the Eden Gardens track, Rohit replied in the negative.

"When you are fielding in such humid conditions your clothes are wet all the time, so you make sure that one side of the ball is dry all the time," he said.

"It's pretty difficult but we have identified a couple of guys in our team who have to make sure that they keep their pants dry all the time to shine the ball. It is happening, so we have got certain things going in our team which is good," Rohit added tongue-in-cheek.

--IANS

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