The captain of India’s 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Rohit Sharma began the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with an excellent touch. With scoring runs and hitting a few magnificent shots, Rohit seemed to be getting back in his old groove.
In the first six games, Rohit Sharma had nailed 261 runs in six games of the IPL for the Mumbai Indians. But as the tournament moved on to its business end, the form of the former captain started to drop down.
In the last six games of the competition, Rohit Sharma has managed only 69 runs at an average of 11.50, while his 167-strike rate in the first half dropped down to 115.
‘Naming the side, explaining, and addressing the press added to the stress’- Pollock on Rohit Sharma’s struggle
With the form of Rohit Sharma, concerns have started to grow among the India fans. The exceptional and veteran opener is the fourth-highest run-getter in the history of the tournament with 963 runs in 36 innings at an average of 34.39 and a strike rate of 127.88 with nine half-centuries.
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Former South Africa fast bowler and an excellent analyst of the game, Shaun Pollock talked about how the release of the captaincy burden has helped Rohit Sharma to develop his batting skills.
‘He (Rohit Sharma) will be disappointed. He got off to a fiery start.’ Pollock said in the post-match discussion on Cricbuzz. ‘Look he is no longer captain, so he’s getting back to his old form. He’s still got two more games so hopefully he fires before he heads off to the World Cup.’
The Protea pacer also said that more than anyone, it would be Rohit himself to be disappointed the most with the performances. The Mumbai Indians opener looked to pull Pat Cummins’ short delivery but the ball raised high up in the air before Heinrich Klassen grabbed a comfortable catch.
‘It’s the manner in which he’s getting out that will be more concerning for him. He’s one of those when he’s playing straight down the ground, there’s not much that can go wrong, but he has tried to introduce a bit of fiddly element to the game.’ The South African cricketer observed. ‘To get the odd scoop here but he’s popping the odd one up in the air. If he gets a good nut, he won’t be too concerned, but to be honest, he’s kind of got to soft dismissals, to be honest.’
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Rohit Sharma will be back in one of his favorite grounds in India- the Eden Gardens, where he has nailed 517 IPL runs in 14 innings at an average of 47 and strike rate of nearly 140 with four fifties and a century. Pollock said that a shift to the World Cup may have put pressure on Rohit’s form.
‘I presume for the last few weeks, there has been a few conversations about trying to pick the Indian team. With that stress of finding the right balance, which player should be picked, all of a sudden. You are back to captaincy mode..’ Pollock concluded. ‘The naming of the side, going to the press conference, explaining why you have picked a certain may have added to the stress.’
With four wins in 12 games, Mumbai Indians may not qualify for the playoffs, but Rohit Sharma may look to get some runs under his belt going into the T20 World Cup 2024.