Alyssa Healy looks forward to replicating Rohit Sharma’s template for success in Test and limited-overs cricket

Australia Women’s wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy prefers taking a leaf out of Rohit Sharma’s book to taste success across formats. The 31-year-old is set to take part in three ODIs, as many T20Is and one Test against India Women, starting Tuesday, September 21. Having played only four Tests since 2021, Healy hasn’t quite settled into the purest format just yet.

She last donned the whites against England in July 2019 where she got scores of 58 and 13. Healy said that she wishes to follow Rohit’s template since the Indian batter has tasted success in limited-overs cricket and Test cricket in equal proportion in recent times. Rohit’s Test career was in the doldrums even two years ago but opening the batting has changed his fortunes.

I watch a lot of the men’s cricket, says Alyssa Healy

“It’s a tricky one because I’ve only played four Tests so I wouldn’t say I’m overly comfortable with how to play or how to approach a Test. From my point of view, I don’t think it’s going to change too much from my one-day international batting. I think the ability to give yourself more time is such a blessing,” Healy was quoted as saying at a Fox Cricket launch event for the series.

“I look at the modern Test game and see how it’s changed quite a lot. I watch a lot of the men’s cricket and I look at someone like Rohit Sharma who is one of the most devastating white-ball batters in the world and yet he’s a really successful opener in Test cricket.

“So, for me, I said look at somebody like him and think about how he translates those skills across all the formats, could I potentially replicate that somehow?” she added.

Although she hasn’t played a whole lot of Test cricket, Healy remains one of Australia’s stalwarts in white-ball cricket. In 79 ODIs and 118 T20Is, she has notched 1927 and 2121 runs respectively with four centuries and 24 half-centuries to show for her efforts.

In the meantime, the one-off Test between India Women and Australia Women is scheduled to take place from September 30 at the Carrara Oval in Queensland.