"Short impactful knocks are fine in ODI or T20 cricket" - Parthiv Patel on Rohit Sharma's potential approach in IND vs NZ 2024 Tests

Parthiv Patel doesn't see Rohit Sharma looking to play short impactful knocks in the Test series between India and New Zealand and the subsequent Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He reckons the Indian skipper's belligerent approach in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh was a one-off.

The opening day of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru was washed off due to rain on Wednesday, October 16. After the three Tests against the Kiwis, Rohit and company will travel to Australia for a five-Test series, with the first game starting in Perth on November 22.

During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Patel was asked whether he sees Rohit continuing to play short impactful innings in Tests.

"If you talk about the Kanpur Test, it was a one-off. You needed to play an innings like that there. It's okay if he got out after scoring 40 or 30 there. Test cricket demands that once your opener gets set, you want him to score a century for you, play a long knock for you," he responded.

"Short impactful knocks are fine in ODI or T20 cricket. However, when you are playing Test cricket, the fearless approach is useful and is needed as well, but the caliber of player Rohit Sharma is, you don't want him to throw his wicket once he gets a start," the former India wicketkeeper added.

Patel noted that explosive cameos generally do not yield rich dividends in Tests.

"There are huge expectations because we have seen him scoring big runs many times. He has the ability as well. So if you talk only about Test cricket, short impactful knocks do not have that much significance. It was the case in Kanpur but you won't get such Tests repeatedly. You will have to mostly play long knocks," he observed.

Rohit smashed 23 runs off 11 deliveries in India's first innings of the Kanpur Test. He scored eight runs in the second essay before being caught in the deep while attempting a big shot.

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"He will play according to the conditions" - Parthiv Patel on Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has a strike rate of 67.25 in eight Tests this year.

In the same discussion, Parthiv Patel cited Rohit Sharma's approach in the first Test against Bangladesh as an example to highlight that the opener would bat based on the conditions and situation.

"When Rohit Sharma goes to Australia or even in this series, you won't see him playing innings like he played in Kanpur or ODI cricket. He will play according to the conditions. You saw him getting out while defending in both innings in Chennai. He wasn't playing big shots," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator expects a more conservative approach and substantial knocks from Rohit against New Zealand.

"That is why he has scored a lot of runs as an opener in the last five or six years. He knows which balls to leave and which to drive. Just because he played such a fantastic innings in Kanpur, and the entire team played differently, there is a lot of talk about that approach. However, you will see him applying himself more in this series and you might see big runs from his bat," Patel elaborated.

Rohit has amassed 424 runs at an average of 53.00 in six Tests against the Black Caps. He has struck four half-centuries against them but is yet to reach the three-figure mark.