IND vs ENG: Zaheer Khan Believes There Will Be A Lot Working On Captain & Opener Rohit Sharma's Mind Heading Into 5-Test Series

Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan believes there will be a lot working on India skipper Rohit Sharma's mind heading into the 5-Test series against England, scheduled to start from Thursday (January 25).

Team India led by Rohit will first host Ben Stokes in Hyderabad followed by matches in Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala over the course of the next month and half.

India is currently second in the World Test Championship standings after the series-levelling historic win in South Africa earlier this month, and have a chance to cement their position in the standing with another series win.

Although Rohit did not put in a starring performance during South Africa tour, he had an impact as a captain in the series, which ended 1-1 after India bounced back from a demoralising defeat to win in Cape Town.

JioCinema expert Zaheer Khan spoke about Rohit Sharma's contribution as a Test batsman and captain, and what can be expected from him in the India-England series on 'Insiders Preview Ind vs Eng' on JioCinema, Sports18.

Rohit has scored 690 runs in 18 innings since taking over as Test captain with two centuries and two fifties during that period. The former India pacer highlighted the influence of Rohit as a leader and how he instills confidence in his teammates with his leadership in the side.

"Everyone knows of the influence and impact that Rohit has had on the whole group. He talks about communication. He gives enough confidence to every player and brings out the best in them," Zaheer said on 'Insiders Preview; show ahead of India vs England on JioCinema.

"That has been the hallmark of his captaincy and he leads from the front as seen in the World Cup. He walks the talk. When you have a leader walking the talk, it gives you better efficiency within the whole group. So, I think he's a proven leader."

While his captaincy stint in the red ball game is very short, Rohit has scored 2152 runs in 45 innings as an opener with seven hundreds and six fifties to his name. Zaheer was full of praise for Rohit as an opening batter and how he has gained patience in his approach.

"Since the time Rohit has been an opener in Tests, he's scored some brilliant hundreds in the toughest of conditions. You've seen him adapt nicely in England when it came to leaving the ball. He said that he had worked a lot on it," Zaheer added.

Zaheer also gave an example of one of Rohit's knocks and how one of them contributed to team's success with the ball on a challenging surface in Chennai.

"You've seen that in Chennai when he played a match-defining knock. Winning the toss, batting first and getting the opposition completely out in the first innings and being instrumental in that is something which gives satisfaction to any player, playing at the highest level," the former pacer said.

"So, he's had that kind of impact as well. You will see something on those line in this series. It's a five-Test series so there'll be a lot on his mind, not just as a batter but also as a leader."

Zaheer also expects a similar kind of planning or approach in the upcoming series against England, and feels he may needs to sit with the head coach and the selectors to make some decisions.

"He (Rohit) has to work it out with Rahul Dravid and the selectors to see how he can rotate players. Both teams will be looking to do that because a five-Test series brings its own challenges," Zaheer said.

"And you got to be staying on top of that tactically, planning about the resources who are more useful in which conditions and get the maximum impact from every individual."

The five-Test series begins January 25 in Hyderabad, and will be streamed live on JioCinema, and broadcasted on Sports18 1 (SD +HD) and Colors Cineplex (SD+HD).