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Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has shared his opinion on Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s disastrous form in the ODIs. Manjrekar feels Rohit not scoring runs in the 50-over format is a problem for the Men in Blue ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Manjrekar’s comments came after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 2 off 7 in the first fixture of the three-match ODI series in Nagpur on Thursday (February 6). Although, Shubman Gill (89) and fifties from Shreyas Iyer (59) and Axar Patel (52) helped the hosts start off the series with a victory, ‘Hitman’s’ lackluster performance is a worrying sign for the Indian team, who will look to claim their second Champions Trophy title.
It all started when Rohit Sharma struggled to get going in the three-match Test series against New Zealand, predominantly against spinner, scoring 91 runs in six innings. Thereafter, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy witnessed Rohit accumulating only 31 runs in five innings, while failing to counter the pacers. His lack of contributions certainly paved the way for the Indian team to lose the series in a dominating fashion.
In an interaction on ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar feels there lies a problem in Sharma’s early dismissal as ODI is the best format for any batter to get into form. He said:
“He’ll be disappointed with the way he got out. Clearly there is pressure and if in 50-over cricket he struggles to get runs or get a big score, then you have a problem. Because I maintain that this is the best format for any batter, if you are batting in the top three, to get runs and come back into form. And if we don’t get to see the best of Rohit Sharma in this three-match series and the Champions Trophy, then there is a problem.”
Kevin Pietersen points out Rohit Sharma’s “aura” despite bad form
Former England batter, Kevin Pietersen, who served as a commentator in the first ODI in Nagpur, shared an incident in a post-match analysis. Pietersen stated that when Rohit Sharma was walking down to the ground for a customary handshake, the crowds went berserk and the England players were in awe of him as well.
Here’s what Pietersen said on Star Sports:
“Can I tell you something. When Rohit Sharma walked down, we had visuals of the England dressing room. When the whole crowd went up, all of the England team started staring at him. That’s intimidating, that’s aura, and that’s something he created; not because he’s Rohit Sharma, but because of the runs he scored, because of his average.”
Rohit Sharma and Co. will next be seen in action in the second ODI against England on February 9 at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
