It is start of a new season for Indian cricket team and they will be fairly satisfied with their performance in the two matches that they have played against Sri Lanka. Yes, they were outplayed in the second match, but their first match performance was good and almost all the batsmen looked in good touch.

Indian bowling has always been a big concern and this series has been no different, but apart from the bowling department, there is one more thing that would be worrying MS Dhoni and that is the form of Rohit Sharama. Rohit has scored five runs in his two innings and the Indian team management will have to take a decision on him sooner rather than later.

Indian captain defended the batsman after his second match duck, saying that he did not play a rash shot and it was the pitch that led to his dismissal. Captain’s support is the one thing that Rohit Sharma has always got, no matter which team he plays for. But it is high time now and there are other batsmen sitting on the bench for their chance and Rohit should make a way for them.

The batsman who most certainly deserves a chance is Manoj Tiwary. It is a surprising fact that the last innings that Tiwary played was a hundred against West Indies and he was the man-of-the-match in the innings. But it has been more than seven months since then and he has not able to find a spot despite his match-winning knock.

People will say that Tiwary got his hundred against a relatively easy side, but Rohit’s two hundred have come against Zimbabwe and one against a second-string Sri Lankan bowling. Both these hundreds came in the same series more than two years ago.

When these two players played together for the India A team against West Indies A, Tiwary averaged more than Rohit Sharma and displayed a lot of guts. Tiwary has travelled with the team in almost all the series off-late, but amazingly he has played only six matches.

It is true that Rohit is very good on the eye and possesses a lot of talent, but it’s of no use until and unless he starts delivering. Many international captains like Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne have said that Rohit is an exceptional batsman and he should be picked in the Test side, but going by the way he throws his wicket away, he is lucky to have not been dropped from the one-day team.
If Rohit Sharma is exceptional in the Indian Premier League, then Manoj Tiwary is no less. Rohit won the title with Deccan Chargers in the second season and Tiwary achieved that feat with Kolkata Knight Riders this year.

Rohit Sharrma is good on the field, but Tiwary is the better fielder among the two. So it is high time the Indian team management should give Tiwary a chance ahead of Rohit Sharma. We need players who are determined and have got the grit, especially keeping in mind the future of Indian cricket.

Rohit Sharma has got the talent, but to play in the Indian team you need much more than that. 

By Gaurav Jha
Indian Sports News Network
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