Rohit Sharma in last chance saloon?

Mumbai: Indian team has left for West Indies to play four Test matches. The matches will be played at Antigua, Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Indian team has a busy schedule ahead where they will be playing 17 Test matches in upcoming nine months. The expectations are for a win for men in blue as WI will be playing their second string side and India can start their long season by winning overseas.
Rohit Sharma is at crossroads. He made his debut in 2007 and great things were expected from him. Sharma was supposed to make his Test debut against South Africa at Nagpur but while Practising during warm-ups he twisted his ankle and had to wait for more than three and a half years to make his much awaited debut in Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series at Eden gardens, Kolkata. He scored a magnificent 177 against WI.
Sharma’s Test career has been topsy turvy since then. He has been in and out of the team and hasn’t cemented his position in the Test side. The question marks over his fitness, temperament, technique and attitude have been raised. He has been guilty of taking things for granted and not working hard on his game to take it to the next level. Too many soft dismissals, lapses in concentration and making silly errors has cost Sharma and that’s why he hasn’t been able to convert potential into performance.
No one doubts the pedigree or talent of Rohit Sharma. He makes batting look ridiculously easy. He has ample time to play his shots and is comfortable on any kind of wicket against any kind of attack. Sharma is one of those rare Indian players who enjoys ball coming on to the bat and likes playing on hard and bouncy surfaces. Who can forget his match winning partnership with little master Sachin Tendulkar when he showed tremendous maturity and composure by helping India win the first final of CB series in 2007-08.
Virat Kohli, Indian Test captain has been one of the biggest fans of Sharma. He has mentioned that he enjoys his batting and he has class written all over him. Sharma is one of the few players in International cricket who has scored hundreds in all three formats. He has two double centuries in One day international (ODI) cricket. He can be sounding board for Kohli and bounce off ideas as he has been a two time IPL winning captain for his franchise, Mumbai Indians.
Sharma has been one of the most consistent batsmen in ODI cricket. After opening the batting his career has gone from strength to strength. Indian team requires Sharma to replicate his limited overs form into Test arena and play with the freedom and flair that he is known for.
Sharma has underachieved at the Test level and now it’s up to him to turn the corner. He can take the game away from opposition in double quick time as he is a fast scorer and has penchant for big scores. India is slowly building a core batting team and Sharma can complement the team with his effortless timing and sheer presence at the crease.
Sharma would probably start in the playing eleven against Windies . The series could be a turning point in his career when he finally plays to his potential. Manish Pandey, Robin Utthappa, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer are waiting in the wings. Time and tide waits for none and Sharma has to either perform or perish.