Why Rohit Sharma could be India's saviour against England in Virat Kohli's absence at Visakhapatnam

Virat Kohli isn't here, but this provides an opportunity for Rohit Sharma to set the record straight in the 2nd India vs England Test starting Friday.

India are trailing 0-1. It does not happen often but it's not a rarity either. Previously too, India have lost the first Test of a series, but only to come back stronger and turn the tables. And if you are looking for some solace in this trivia, here goes another. During England's last tour of India, the home team lost the first Test in Chennai before winning the next three to take the series 3-1. Can history repeat itself? Well, you'd better hope.

With Virat Kohli gone, India need their captain Rohit Sharma to step up (PTI)

But India have a problem. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are out of the Visakhapatnam Test, and so is Virat Kohli, leaving the youngsters with a big void to fill, especially that of the former India captain. He looked like a million bucks in the Test series against South Africa and would have loved to have a go at England had it not been for a last-minute withdrawal on an account of family emergency.

And when you have a look at Kohli's record at Vizag, you ought to feel his absence even further. In two Tests at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium, Kohli has scored 299 runs at a stunning average of 99.67 with a hundred and a fifty. In fact, in 2016, when Kohli was unstoppable during England's four-Test series in India with 655 runs, he cracked a brilliant 167 and 81 in Visakhapatnam to guide his team to a 246 run victory. Three years later, Kohli was back in Vizag, although this time his returns were underwhelming with scores of 20 and 31 not out.

Rohit Sharma's Vizag connection

Having said that, if Kohli couldn't set the Vizag Test on fire in 2019, Rohit Sharma stepped up. In fact, it was during India's two-Test series against South Africa that Rohit's Test career received a fresh lease of life. Opening for the first time in Tests, Rohit smashed a terrific 176 and followed it with 127 in the second innings, becoming only the sixth Indian batter to hit twin centuries in a match.

Rohit joined a prestigious list that featured Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Hazare, Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli. As it turns out, it remains the only Test Rohit has played at the venue for the 2nd India-England game starting on Friday, and as India hope to draw level, they can really do with their captain leading from the front and produce a repeat from four years ago. With no Kohli, India need their most talismanic batter and Rohit to return to his flamboyant best and set the record straight.

In the last year, Rohit has scored only two Test centuries – 120 against Australia in Nagpur and 103 against the West Indies in July. Besides, he has two half-centuries – 80 and 57 against the Windies – but no real innings of substance barring these. With India likely to field a couple of young batters in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rajat Patidar, and with Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer struggling for form, it's crucial that their captain steps up and lead his team to glory.