Sanjay Bangar backs Rohit Sharma to have huge impact if he succeeds in Test cricket

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Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar didn't say too much too soon but feels that if Rohit Sharma succeeds in Test cricket, India can do things they never have in the format.

Rohit is set to be given a new lease of life in red-ball cricket after chief selector MSK Prasad backed the limited-overs opener to bat at the top against South Africa. With a settled middle-order in rejuvenated Ajinkya Rahane and gritty Hanuma Vihari, India failed to find a place for Rohit in the two Tests against West Indies. But, with the failure of KL Rahul at the top and calls getting louder for Rohit to be tried at this expense, the team management finally have decided to throw the towel and it could do a world of good for the Mumbaikar.

"At the moment, there is no place in the settled middle order in the Test team. Opening will be a new challenge for him, since he has rarely done it in the longer formats. But the advantage is that he will get to bat against a hardball with plenty of gaps in the field. He will also not have to wait for his turn to bat, which will save his mental energy.

"If he succeeds, his style of play will be extremely helpful to the team. It might result in being able to successfully chase down targets that we haven't achieved in the past, like in Cape Town and Edgbaston," Bangar told espncricinfo.

Being a Test opener himself, Bangar said that sticking to one's basics, could help you at the top of the order.

"The key to his success will be if he maintains his individual style of play. He has to maintain his individuality," Bangar said when asked about what Rohit needs to do to succeed.

The former Railways all-rounder also opened up on how he worked with Rahane, who was out of form before the West Indies series, where he scored 271 runs from four innings.

"Rahane missed out on converting a lot of fifties into hundreds in the last 18 months or so, but otherwise, he contributed in all our overseas victories. He contributed in Johannesburg, in Nottingham and in Adelaide."

"We worked a lot on leading with his head and shoulder to get a proper stride into the shot, and also on finishing his trigger movements before the ball was released. I was very happy for him that he eventually crossed the three-figure mark in West Indies, where once again he played a pivotal role under seaming conditions."

"He has been very gracious in acknowledging that the things we've worked on together have helped him at various points."