Rohit Sharma-Mayank Agarwal come 2nd to Latham-Blundell as Test opening duo: Aakash Chopra

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra recently gave his take on some of the contemporary Test opening pairs in world cricket. On Wednesday, July 29, he took to his YouTube channel and talked about Indian opening batsmen, Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal. Aakash Chopra compared the Indian batting duo with other contemporary openers like the current Australian and New Zealand new-ball tacklers.

Also Read | Ravi Shastri Claims That India's 1985 Team Could Easily Challenge Virat Kohli's ODI Team

Aakash Chopra talks about opening combo of Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal

On his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra shed some light on the newly-formed Indian Test opening combo of Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal and placed them second behind New Zealand’s Tom Latham and Tom Blundell among the best in the world. The cricketer-turned-commentator kept Sharma-Agarwal at second because the Indian combo is yet to be tried and tested in overseas conditions.

Aakash Chopra said that both batsmen have done a good job in the limited opportunities they got as they hold an average of almost 70 together. He cited their personal batting averages while opening (Rohit Sharma with 73.6 and Mayank Agarwal with 57.3) and said that these are fairly good numbers.

Also Read | Ravi Shastri, Virat Kohli's Call Of 5 Bowlers In Tests Made Batsmen Responsible: S Bangar

Aakash Chopra also said that they have not batted together outside India as Rohit Sharma had to miss out on India’s Test leg of the tour to New Zealand earlier this year. He pinned his hopes on Sharma getting to travel to Australia in December for the much-awaited four-match Test series. He believes that the right-handed batsman will do well ‘Down Under’ as an opener because he has gained enough experience and does not have “much to prove”.

Talking about the New Zealand openers, Aakash Chopra stated that Tom Latham and Tom Blundell are currently the best Test opening pair in world cricket. Meanwhile, he kept the Australian combo of David Warner and Rory Burns at No.3. Although, Chopra expressed some scepticism for Warner citing he is not 100 percent convinced of the left-hander as an opener when it comes to batting in challenging conditions.

Aakash Chopra reveals why he kept Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal at second, watch video

Also Read | Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Rift Continues? Instagram Live Chats Shed Some Light On It

Virat Kohli and Indian think-tank appointment of new Test openers

Virat Kohli and the Indian team management appointed Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal as openers during South Africa’s Test trip to India in October 2019. In their first innings batting together itself, they put on a 317-run stand. Both Sharma (176) and Agarwal (215) plundered big centuries and continued their fine run in the subsequent Indian home season.

Also Read | Rohit Sharma Has Funny Response To Fan Asking Him To Describe Virat Kohli In One Word

Image credit: Aakash Chopra and BCCI Twitter