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India vs South Africa warm up match 2019: All eyes on Rohit Sharma ahead of major transformation

Dixit Bhargav
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India vs South Africa warm up match 2019: Predicted Board President 11 vs SA

India vs South Africa warm up match 2019: The Sports Rush present before you Board’s President XI’s Predicted XI for tomorrow’s match.

The last time India batsman Rohit Sharma captained the Indian Board’s President XI against South Africa was in 2010. Back in the day, Sharma was looking forward to his Test debut which would have almost happened in the first Test in Nagpur had he not twisted his ankle 15 minutes before the toss.

Nine years down the line, Sharma is once again set to captain the same team against the same opposition looking forward to what will be his debut as an opening batsman in Test matches.

While Sharma made his Test debut in 2013, the change in his batting order is being made to accommodate arguably the greatest limited-overs opening batsman in the modern times in the Test team.

Sharma’s 27-Test career has been such that he hasn’t been able to cement his spot in the middle-order. This, in accordance with a dearth in the current middle-order leaves him with no other option than to open the innings.

Having successfully made the transformation from being a middle-order batsman to an opener in limited-over formats, the 32-year old cricketer would be looking forward to replicate the success mantra in Tests as well. In what is surely easier said than done, Sharma acclimatizing to the new role is likely to bode well for India in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.

India vs South Africa warm up match 2019

The Indian Board President’s XI will take on South Africa tomorrow in Vizianagaram. Other than Sharma, the three-match will also provide much-needed opportunities to other members of the Test team in opening batsman Mayank Agarwal and fast bowler Umesh Yadav.

India Board’s President XI team against South Africa – Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Siddesh Lad, KS Bharat (wk), Jalaj Saxena, Umesh Yadav, Ishan Porel, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Dhanmendrasinh Jadeja

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Dixit Bhargav

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Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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