Ranchi, Oct 19: With the duo of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane steadying the ship after India were reeling at 39/3 at one stage, batting coach Vikram Rathour praised both the batsmen at the end of the opening day's action at the JSCA Stadium on Saturday.
Rathour said that Rohit showed grit and determination to play away the first session when the likes of Kagiso Rabada had the ball moving viciously.
"As I said, they were bowling in good areas and there was some help in the wicket. So, as a batsman, you have to survive during that time, which Rohit did very well," he said.
"He is too good a player to not play all formats. Opening the batting with him was the right decision. And the number of runs he has scored, he has settled the issue (of opening) for the time being.
"If somebody of his stature starts coming good at the top of the order, that changes everything for the team, even when you are touring. He is such an experienced player; I don't think you need to tinker with his technique. He just had to make some mental adjustments vis-a-vis his gameplan."
Commenting on Rahane's knock, the former India opener said that the Test deputy showed great intent and looked good in the middle during his unbeaten knock of 83.
"Ajinkya showed great intent today. Whenever he bats with this intent, he looks a really good player," Rathour said.
The India batting coach also praised Rabada for bowling brilliantly in the opening session of the third Test. "Rabada is one of the better bowlers in the world at the moment and today he showed why he is rated so high. He bowled great areas today. And that is what good batters need to do in Test cricket, you need to survive those spells," he said.