Former Indian Cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the Indian team management should not worry about Rohit Sharma’s form in the IPL as he has been playing red-ball Cricket very well in recent times. The Indian skipper had a poor outing with the bat this season for the Mumbai Indians as he scored only 332 runs at a poor average of 20.75, and a strike rate of 132.80.
The Indian captain was not at his usual best for the past few years in the cash-rich league and has struggled to score runs in the cash-rich league. Rohit Sharma will be desperate to end their long wait for an ICC trophy as India won the last ICC trophy in 2013 under the leadership of legendary MS Dhoni.
Speaking on Star Sports, Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar feels that we need to keep Rohit Sharma’s IPL form aside as he has been batting brilliantly in test cricket and reckons that at this stage of his career, the Indian skipper is looking to do well in the longer format of the game just like Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli.
“Keep his IPL form aside because he looked out of form in the last IPL as well… we saw the amazing batting he did in the first Test match against Australia. I believe the stage of his career Rohit Sharma is in, Test cricket seems to be the most exciting format for him just like it has always been for Virat Kohli,” Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports.
“His batting has become almost faultless in Test cricket at the moment. There is just one problem we have seen in Test matches – he gets out while playing the pull shot at times. They have bowled him a short ball and kept a fielder there. That is an instinctive shot.”
Rohit Sharma has done phenomenally well for the Indian team as he scored 368 runs in four Test matches at an average of 52.27 during the 2021 England series and will look to do well in the high stakes final against Australia in the World Test Championship final.
Rohit Sharma’s Pull Shot Is Extremely Interesting – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar went on to explain Rohit Sharma’s masterclass pull shot in the ODI Cricket, as he says that the Indian skipper plays the pull shot with a very back low lift, which helps him to generate the power to get the elevation in the ball.
“If you see in ODI cricket, his pull shot is extremely interesting. His backlift doesn’t come from the top so he can play the ball down. He has a very low back lift, he just picks up the ball and the bat then goes behind his back in the follow-through to give the power,” Sanjay Manjrekar added.
Rohit Sharma is expected to vital role alongside young Indian opener Shubman Gill at the top of the order, as it would set up the tone for the Indian team in the initial overs of the game and they will play a crucial role for the Men in Blue against Australia at the Oval starting on June 7