"In A Knockout Game, You Can't...": Sunil Gavaskar On Rohit Sharma's Off-Form In T20 World Cup

After a top-place finish in the Group 2, the Indian cricket team now shifts focus to the semi-final against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup on Thursday. This will be the side's fourth last four appearance in the T20I showpiece event. India will be boosted by the good form of players like Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh among others. However, one senior player who hasn't quite come to the party is skipper Rohit Sharma. Barring a half-century against Netherlands, he has failed to strike big against Pakistan (4), South Africa (15), Bangladesh (2) and Zimbabwe (15). His string of low scores have put pressure on other batters and going into the knockout stages, Rohit's form would be crucial for Team India, according to former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.

"Well, let's just hope he is saving the runs for the next two matches. They are going to be the biggest matches. In a group game, you know there's another game to follow, so you maybe sometimes try a little too much and get out. Now, these are knockout games. In a knockout game, you can't afford to experiment too much. You need to be at your best. Let's hope that Rohit comes good," Gavaskar told India Today.

Gavaskar added that Rohit's style of being ultra-aggressive is not doing him any good.

"What's been happening is, he himself, as the captain of the team, has set this template in the first 6 overs to go bang, bang, and bang. Suddenly, he can't be seen looking to work the ball around. He is always a good puller of the ball. But on Australian boundaries, that pull shot has got him into trouble," Gavaskar said.

"We saw that two years ago as well, he got out twice by playing the pull shot after having scored 40-50 runs (in Tests). That's got him into trouble again. In a T20 format with just one fielder in the first 6 overs, he has got to be mindful of the fielder and play the pull shot. It's a productive shot for him, let's not forget that."

Rohit is the only member of the current Indian team, who featured in the 2007 World T20-winning side. Being the skipper as well as the senior opener, Indian cricket fans would hope Rohit to come good in the knockout stage.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Sunil Gavaskar ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Cricket