In blue, Rohit assumes different avatar

The transformation in Rohit Sharma when he switches from white to coloured clothing would merit a serious case study. In the former he remains the epitome of unrealised potential, but in the latter he becomes a run-chasing gargantua.

Centuries in the two ODIs played so far in the series Down Under highlight this. In the first, he made a rousing 171 not out, almost 60 per cent of the team score of 309, and in the second he made 124 before being unfortunately run out.

That both matches were lost is laced with bitter irony for India in my opinion. Rohit and young Barinder Sran have been the best batsman and bowler respectively from either side, and the team topped the 300-run mark in both games. But only had defeats to show for these efforts..

As challengers the onus was always on India to turn the tables Australia, never easy in their own conditions. But the batting has lacked thrust in the slog overs, the bowling’s been unable to contain — leave aside take wickets — and some crucial chances have gone down. The threat of a whitewash looms large now.

But the subject of this piece is the enigmatic Rohit Sharma who has kept his supporters — fans and selectors — on tenterhooks for some years now about whether he can actualise his potential in Test cricket.

Despite centuries in his first two Tests, his performances in the five-day format are defined more by prodigality than productivity. In whites, he has flattered to deceive so often that his place in the side is the subject of non-stop debate.

However, as soon as he dons the blue India uniform in limited overs cricket (or the Mumbai India colours in the IPL), Rohit’s’s form soars extraordinarily. It’s almost as if he assumes a different avatar.

Exquisite timing, a wondrous range of strokes, and an enviable appetite for big scores all come to the fore. Off the front foot or back, playing strokes on the on side or off, with vertical or horizontal bat, he bats with a majesty that produces awe.

Two double centuries in ODIs bespeak his calibre. There are other big centuries besides — like the two he has made in the current series — outside of the sub-continent which add further heft to his stature in limited overs cricket .

So why does Rohit not perform with the same consistency and conviction in Tests too Why does he become as powerless as Samson after a haircut when playing in whites

Obviously, not all players excel in all formats, though the truly great ones do. For most, it has to do with intrinsic ability. Since this is clearly not Rohit’s shortcoming, everything suggests it has to do with temperament.

For someone so gifted, he seems inexplicably error-prone in the longest format. But the loose strokes that have so often led to his downfall are now, I believe, less to do with technical frailty and more with self-doubt.

In his early matches, Rohit was guilty of false bravado, even self-indulgence. With failures multiplying, he has become tense, self-conscious and trying perhaps a tad too hard, though this might seem in dissonance to his widely criticised 'casualness’’.

But in limited overs cricket his self-belief returns fortified in steel and it would be fair to say that Rohit has been able to save his place in the Test side because of his prolific run-making in ODIs and T20s.

That has kept the selectors and his captains still tapping their fingers in anticipation and hope that his form in limited overs cricket would somehow spill over into Test cricket too.

As he plunders runs Down Under, Rohit must recognise expectations from him go beyond this series. Not every talented young cricketer will become an instant hit. There is scope and place for late bloomers too. At 27, he has enough experience of all formats, success and failure, to come good and leave his mark in Tests. If he still doesn’t, Rohit Sharma will only nowhere to look except in the mirror for answers.