Rohit Sharma is one of India’s best ODI batters but his poor form off late may take a toll on the team in Champions Trophy
India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma‘s poor form continued as he flopped once again. The Hitman was dismissed for just two runs in IND vs ENG 1st ODI as his miserable form with the bat extended. With less than two weeks left for the Champions Trophy, his string of poor scores is a worry for India and he could potentially end up being a burden and a sitting duck for the Men in Blue at the marquee tournament.
Will India stick with Rohit in Champions Trophy?
One would surely argue that Rohit can’t be left out of the team as he is the captain. But, there’s his deputy Shubman Gill who can lead the side in Champions Trophy. He has the likes of the experienced Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Jadeja to guide him if needed. If we speak about who will open for India, then that questions too remains answered. India handed Yashasvi Jaiswal is maiden ODI cap on Tuesday, sending a clear signal as to what was expected ahead. While he managed only 15 runs before departing, he seems to be the perfect fit in Gambhir’s plan to have a left-right hand combo at the top.
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Gill, who is India’s regular opener in the ODIs, batted at number 3 on Thursday. But that isn’t a permanent arrangement as Virat Kohli will return to the line-up for the upcoming matches. Given Rohit’s poor form, Gill is better suited to open with Jaiswal at the top. But then what will happen to Rohit Sharma?
Sharma is not accustomed to batting anywhere else apart from the opener slot. He has a fair bit of experience while playing at number 6 (1056 runs in 18 matches). But he surely won’t be demoted down the order as India will the keep the slot for the likes of Hardik Pandya or Jadeja. Therefore, there is no option but to leave him out of the playing XI.
No doubt Rohit is ODI legend but what about form?
There is no doubt that Rohit is indeed one of the greatest ODI batters for India. His track record in the format is very impressive and if we speak specifically about the last 5 years, he has excelled in whatever limited opportunities he has gotten in terms of number of ODIs played. But the issue that will bother India the most is his form in general in the recent past and what toll it could take on the team in Champions Trophy.
| Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | SR | Ave | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 16 | 166 | 52 | 56.46 | 10.37 | 0 | 1 |
While he has two more ODIs to try and regain his form, time is running out of Sharma’s hands. A couple of more failures could force India to plan their playing XI without Rohit and it won’t be a surprise.
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