Rohit Sharma averages 31.38 in Tests in Australia: Stats
Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has re-joined the squad after missing the first Test of the five-match series against Australia in Perth due to personal reasons. The veteran opener is now gearing up for the second Test in Adelaide, which begins on December 6. Notably, Rohit has a below-par Test record in Australia as far as Test matches are concerned. Here we decode the same.
Three fifties in Australia
Rohit has been on three previous Test tours of Australia but has featured in seven Tests Down Under. As per ESPNcricinfo, the veteran has managed just 408 runs in these games at a paltry average of 31.38. The tally includes three fifties with a best of 63*. He scored 129 runs at 32.25 in his last Test assignment in Australia, in 2020-21.
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Rohit's average of 31.38 in Australia is the third-worst among specialist Indian batters who have played at least 10 Test innings Down Under since the 2014-15 tour. He is only ahead of KL Rahul (26.36) and Hanuma Vihari (20.33) in this regard.
Troubles against Nathan Lyon
Though tracks in Australia are known to favor pacers, off-spinner Nathan Lyon has been Rohit's biggest nemisis in the continent. He has sent back Rohit six times across 12 innings in Australia with the batter averaging just 22.50 in this battle. Front-line pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood has trapped Rohit twice in Australia. All the three aformentioned bowlers are a part of the ongoing series.
708 Test runs vs Australia
Rohit has overall scored 708 versus Australia in the longest format. He averages a below-par 33.71 against them. The tally includes three fifties besides a ton. However, in white-ball cricket, Rohit has been sensational against this team, smoking eight hundreds in the ODI format. Rohit would want to replicate similar success in red-ball cricket as well.
Here are his overall numbers
In a career spanning over a decade, Rohit has played just 64 Tests. He has racked up 4,270 runs at an impressive average of 42.27. The tally includes 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries with a best of 212. The 37-year-old is on the cusp of scripting history as he requires just four more maximums to displace Virender Sehwag (91) as the Indian with the most Test sixes.
