DUBAI: As Team India prepares itself for the upcoming Super 12 clash with New Zealand, all eyes will be on one man who is regarded as one of the most explosive batsmen in white-ball cricket.
Yes, we are talking about ‘hitman’ Rohit Sharma – the explosive India opener who failed to shine with the bat during the crucial India-Pakistan clash on Sunday held in Dubai last week.
Rohit is the second-highest run-getter in T20Is, behind skipper Virat Kohli. While skipper Kohli is in superb form these days, Sharma’s poor record against New Zealand has been a major concern for his side.
Going by his past records, New Zealand are one of the sides against whom Rohit has often struggled in the shortest format. Sharma has also been dismissed in single digits six times against the Kiwis in pas ten innings. He has had a poor strike rate against New Zealand.
Skipper Kohli had to face some tough questions during the post-match press conference and was even stumped by one of the queries on Rohit Sharma’s place in the playing XI after Pakistan crushed India on Sunday. Sharma was cleaned up by Shaheen Afridi in the first over of the match for a first-ball duck and eventually found themselves tottering early on after being put in to bat.
But despite all this, Rohit Sharma is undisputedly among the world’s leading run-scorers and has a very impressive record against most of the cricket-playing nations during major tournaments. It remains to be seen whether Sharma will prove his critics wrong and be able to give a solid start when India lock horns with New Zealand.
Team India has, meanwhile, begun their preparation for the New Zealand game with a “fun” fielding session on Wednesday. The official Twitter handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a few pictures from the session.
Amid all this, veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has given some advice for Team India ahead of their tie against New Zealand. Bhajji, who was part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning squads, has recommended some changes in Team India, saying it needs to make minor adjustments if they were to win against the Kiwis.
Bhajji has suggested a change in the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and pitched for Ishan Kishan. The veteran spinner has said that Kishan should be given a chance in the opening slot along with Rohit, considering his rich form in recent outings.
Talking on his Youtube channel, Harbhajan said, “I feel it’s important for Ishan Kishan to play. If Ishan Kishan opens with Rohit Sharma, India can get the start they are looking for. If he plays six overs, the score won’t be 40-45 but can be 60-66 because Kishan is an explosive batsman. If he is on crease every bowler will be under pressure.”
I think @ishankishan51 should be included in team india as opener and classy batsman @klrahul11 can bat at 4 I think Virat,rohit, KL are the most sorted players in terms playing any kind of role in the team .. My view https://t.co/aFwLjyfnDZ
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 27, 2021
The off-spinner asked for KL Rahul to drop down to the middle order and bat at number four while leaving Suryakumar Yadav out of his playing XI. “I will have Virat Kohli at 3, KL Rahul at 4. This will make India’s top 4 very solid and Rishabh Pant should bat at 5.”
With Pakistan’s victory over both India and New Zealand, the meeting between the two sides on Sunday is a must-win clash for both sides in their hopes of making the semi-final.
