Rohit Sharma can break Steve Smith's record, feels Shoaib Akhtar

Rohit Sharma- The Test match opener was the biggest talking point ahead of the Test series And, what did Sharma do? He decided to break almost every record he could to quash away all those debates. In his debut match as a Test opener in Vishakhapatnam, Rohit became only the sixth Indian to score back-to-back tons in a single Test besides becoming the first batsman in the history of the game to rack up in excess of 300 runs in his maiden gig at the said position.

After a rare blip in Pune, Rohit managed to put another masterclass in the third Test in Ranchi. The right-hander became only the fourth batsman to score a double hundred (212) in both ODI and Test cricket, joining the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle in the coveted list.

Rohit Sharma has arrived in Test cricket, says Shoaib Akhtar

Naturally, Sharma’s heist has earned him high praise from fans, pundits as well as his detractors. Joining the bandwagon, former Pakistan fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar has heaped high praise on Rohit. According to Akhtar, Rohit Sharma is taking revenge from himself for not performing in red-ball cricket in the past 4-5 years.

“Now, everyone will admit that Rohit Sharma was a great batsman and is a great batsman. He collected runs at will in limited-overs cricket. However, he realized that he was missing out on bigger action – Test cricket. I think Rohit Sharma is now realizing what he is capable of. He is batting in a one-day style only. He is hitting big sixes and scoring freely. He is now taking revenge from his own self,” Shoaib Akhtar said on his official YouTube channel.

Akhtar also alluded that had Rohit consistently played Test cricket in the last five years, he would have easily played 8000-9000 runs, while making a rather bold prediction that the right-hander can break Steve Smith’s tally of 774 runs in a Test series, and rack up more than 1000 runs.

“He now wants to make it up for the time he has lost by not playing Test cricket in the last five years. Had he played Test cricket, he would have easily scored 8000-9000 runs by now. If he continues playing in the form he is playing, he can easily break Steve Smith’s record and score a thousand runs in a Test series. Finally, Rohit has arrived in Test cricket and will now become a brand,” Akhtar claimed.

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