Rohit Sharma’s form has once again come under the spotlight as questions over his future in Indian cricket continue to grow. Speculation has intensified after The Indian Express reported on Thursday that the third ODI against England at Lord’s could be his final appearance in India’s colours. His recent performances have done little to ease those concerns. Rohit managed scores of 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs against England, struggling to make a significant impact at the top of the order. Although he produced a fluent 79 against Afghanistan in June, expectations remain much higher for a player of his stature and experience. With young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting for a regular opportunity, competition for places has only increased, leaving little room for prolonged lean patches.
Rohit’s innings in Cardiff further highlighted his struggles, as he laboured to 26 off 47 balls at a strike rate of 55.31, well below the aggressive standards he has set throughout his career.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif weighed in on Rohit’s lean run, admitting he was surprised to see the veteran opener struggle so much. However, Kaif backed Rohit to return to his natural attacking style in the series-decider at Lord’s, even if it meant taking greater risks with the bat.
“He played a strange innings in this match, I have rarely seen Rohit Sharma struggle like this, where he is getting stuck against the short ball. In the next match you are going to see Rohit Sharma take on and play shots, he will pull, he will drive, and he might get out, but that is a different matter. But he is going to play with intent in the next match,” Mohammad Kaif said on Cricbuzz.
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Kaif also backed Rohit to respond in trademark fashion, saying the India captain has often bounced back from a string of low scores with a big century. While acknowledging that consistency has separated Rohit from Virat Kohli over the years, Kaif believes the veteran opener is capable of producing a match-defining knock when it matters most.
“Assume that Rohit Sharma plays and scores a 100, he can do that, because when he flops for 2-3 innings, he bats aggressively in the next game. He has done that throughout his career. Yes, he has not been consistent, that has been the difference between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. So, if such an innings comes, he would want that to happen,” Kaif.
“Rohit Sharma would want to contribute in a do-or-die game”
Kaif added that if the Lord’s ODI does turn out to be Rohit’s final appearance for India, there would be no better way to sign off than with a memorable innings. He expressed hope that the veteran opener would rise to the occasion in a must-win match, pointing out that Rohit has repeatedly answered his critics with big performances after difficult phases in his career.
“If he decides that he will not play any longer or the selectors take the call that he will not play, then he would want to go out like this, on a high note. He would want to contribute in a do-or-die game, and he can do that. He was not settled in the second ODI, the flow was not there, so his time has come, but this has happened many times in his career, and he has always responded back, so I hope that if the next match is his last, then he should go out with such an innings that people remember,” he added.