'I find him quite tough to bowl to': Josh Hazlewood heaps praise on India star ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Veteran Australian speedster, Josh Hazlewood, recently commended the India test and ODI captain, Rohit Sharma, in anticipation of the upcoming high-stakes Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Rohit has demonstrated a commendable performance against Australia in test cricket, accumulating 708 runs in 12 tests with an average of 33.71. The 37-year-old has achieved three fifties and one century against Australia, showcasing his prowess on the field. In Australia, Rohit has amassed 408 runs in seven test matches at an average of 31.38.

In the face of Hazlewood's bowling, Rohit has managed to score 54 runs off 174 deliveries in test cricket. The right-arm pacer has successfully dismissed Rohit twice in the longest format of the game.

Hazlewood, the Australian speedster, praised Indian opener Rohit Sharma for his exceptional strokeplay against fast bowlers. He further expressed his admiration for Rohit's ability to seemingly control time when facing the pace attack.

“I remember one time India came out, he battled at 5 or 6 and then last time he opened. He’s faced the new ball a lot. I feel like he plays the quicks unbelievably well. The bounce doesn’t seem to worry him, the movement doesn’t. He’s got all the time in the world. So, I find him quite tough to bowl to,” Hazlewood told Star Sports.

Australian speedster #JoshHazlewood is all praise for #RohitSharma’s rock-solid batting and impeccable technique against quicks! 

The #ToughestRivalry unfolds in #AUSvINDOnStar, FRI 22 NOV onwards  pic.twitter.com/4fKTw1tJNi

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 25, 2024

Australia is determined to emerge victorious against India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Having suffered defeats in the last two home test series (2018-19 and 2020-21) at the hands of the Indian cricket team, Australia is eager to turn the tables. Conversely, Team India is poised to make history by clinching a hat-trick of test series wins in Australia.

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