There are few better places in the game than to see Rohit Sharma in his element. He may be one of the finest timers of the ball but the right-handed batsman had to go through a poor IPL season this year. Rohit endured his worst season after failing to score a single half-century for the first time since his debut in the inaugural edition in 2008. He managed to score just 248 runs at an average of 19.14 and strike rate of 120.17 in 14 outings. ,‘Not even 30 per cent facilities are available for England club cricketers in Pakistan’: Star pacer on his county stint,
Under Rohit’s leadership, the five-time IPL winners ended a disappointing tournament as they finished last in the points table. Not many things went according to him but Rohit is all set to lead India in his first overseas assignment. India and England face off in the rescheduled fifth and final Test in Birmingham on 1 July.
Rohit, who was rested for the T20I series against South Africa at home, is looking to start fresh and have runs under his belt. In the first four Tests in England, he scored 368 runs in 4 Tests, including one hundred and two fifties – a testament to his batting prowess regardless of the circumstances. But his recent batting numbers tell a different story.
Former India captain Kapil Dev also questioned Rohit’s lean patch, saying he should have been a part of the domestic assignment against South Africa. “Today it is difficult to know who has been rested or who has been asked to rest. Only the selectors will know about that.” not cut,
“The player (Rohit) is fantastic, there is no question about it. But if you don’t score half-centuries in 14 matches, questions will arise, be it Gary Sobers, Don Bradman, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar or Viv Richards. Only Rohit can answer what is happening. Is it too much (cricket) or has he stopped enjoying it?”
“Players like Rohit and Virat (Kohli) should enjoy the game. How they feel is very important (for their performance).”
Kapil also spoke about the mindset of both the players and predicted that it would be ‘impossible’ for the critics to keep quiet if the Indian pair continues to hold on to their mediocrity. Like Rohit, Virat Kohli too saw a weak IPL season where he registered three golden ducks. He averaged 22.73 throughout the tournament, his lowest since the 2010 season.
Kohli’s batting decline has also prompted former players including Brett Lee and Ravi Shastri to feel the star cricketer should take a break to “refresh the mind”.
“You have to score runs (to get back in form). You can’t go very far based on reputation alone. Eventually, opportunities will dry up. How many chances will you need after 14 games? I don’t understand why they are given rest. If dropped, where will he get a chance to play? It is quite difficult to see how they play now,” Kapil added.
“I think these players need to get their thinking right. I’ll be happy if they prove me wrong. If you’re not scoring runs, there’s a problem somewhere. Either that’s too much cricket.” Or very little. We only see one thing – how you perform. If performance has dropped, it’s hard to stop people from talking. It’s not possible. Your performance and bat should speak. The rest doesn’t matter Had to.
“He (Kohli) is like a hero for us. We used to wonder if there would be any player who we can compare with Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. We never thought so. Then he (Kohli) came in front Come. The scene. Now, the comparison has gone (for the last two years). He has to mentally address his cricket,” he said.
