Rohit's confidence will be very high: Saba Karim ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Rohit with Kuldeep Yadav in nets (Twitter)

There have been a lot of changes from the last time Australia toured India. Back in 2017, Virat Kohli used to captain India and Steve Smith was Australia's leader-in-chief. Most of the players are still the same, however; all of them are way too experienced now.  

However, India have got more and more burly in their strengths. Their bowling - both seamers and spinners - has become world-class, while the batting has gotten potent with Rohit Sharma becoming a regular as an opener.

Back in 2017, despite being a regular in white-ball formats, the Indian skipper was on the fringes in the Test-match setup. However, since the summer of 2019, Sharma has proven his prowess to become an elite opener and has worn the batch to lead India across all formats.

Coming into the series, a lot will depend on how Sharma, the opener, plays against the likes of Pat Cummins and company.

Talking about the Indian captain's change of fortune, cricketer-turned-commentator Saba Karim said Sharma now has challenging runs in his kitty.

"When Australia toured India in 2017, Rohit used to play white-ball formats. There have been a lot of changes in his life. He has now cemented his place in the Test squad. He is also leading the team, and has scored runs in tough conditions as well," Karim mentioned on India News.

Since becoming a Test opener, the 35-year-old has amassed over 1500 runs in the purest format, playing 18 matches to notch five hundreds and four fifties. 

The right-hander has become successful as an opener in Australian and English conditions. Hinting at that, the former cricketer has said the upcoming challenge would comparable be easier for Sharma.

"Once you’ve scored runs in tough conditions, your confidence gets very high. I expect the same from him. The conditions are different here, but he's experienced enough," the 55-year-old concluded.

Under Rohit Sharma's leadership, India will first take on Australia in Nagpur in the first Test before the caravan moves to Delhi, Dharamshala and Ahmedabad.

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