While the India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup clash promises to deliver hopefully mind numbing cricketing extravaganza for dollops of fans, it is actually a mega opportunity for none other than Rohit Sharma to shine at the format’s highest level against Pakistan.
To take nothing away from the overall T20I international record of captain Rohit Sharma who only recently went past 4,000 runs in the format, the game against Pakistan is, beyond doubt, an opportunity to free his arms and up his run tally against a familiar opponent.
But having said that, what’s the context here? What is it that we are talking about?
We love Rohit for his dismissive style of batting wherein he discards quality pace and spin alike with much ease.
We also admire the fact that the right hander recently hit his 600th six in international cricket, an envy-inspiring feat that has eschewed the grasp of many greats of the format, whether we talk about Gayle, Pollard, Dhoni, Kohli, Maxwell or AB de Villiers himself.
But where the fan must pay close attention, and ditto for Rohit, is the sheer lack of T20 World Cup runs against a familiar opponent called Pakistan. As a mate of fact, Rohit Sharma has been playing the mother of all T20 battles ever since the tournament’s inception, which was back in 2007.
On June 9, 2024 when captain Sharma walks down the pitch in New York, it’ll be ninth time that he’ll be representing Team India in the T20 World Cup having first represented the nation in the checkered tournament back in 2007. And while that’s something to savour; what isn’t actually is how Rohit has fared in the T20 games against Pakistan.
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As on date, the brilliant and gutsy right hander has managed under 150 runs in the format despite having had an opportunity to have a go at Pakistan on no fewer than 10 occasions (read innings).
To this date, he hasn’t scored a fifty in the World Cup encounters against Pakistan in the sport’s briefest format with a highest score of 30* (16 deliveries) standing erect against his name.
Usually speaking, when someone like a Rohit walks out to the middle with that familiar bat in the hand, it’s breezy knocks punctuated by fluent boundaries and mega sixes that follow. However, that’s precisely the thing that hasn’t actually transpired as on date for the great man in T20 World Cup games against rivals Pakistan.
Could the June 9 game against Pakistan be the big differentiator, then?
Make no mistake about the fact that Pakistan’s pace battery will come hard at a batsman who is, beyond a speck of doubt, a charismatic operator in this format. Someone like an Afridi would love to have a real go against Sharma; the left armer will recollect his magical 2022 World Cup spell that earned him three blistering wickets, including that of Rohit’s.
But on his part, Rohit Sharma, would do well to remember that he’s got dollops of experience playing Pakistan at the game’s highest level. Even as on date, his rampant unbeaten 30 in the 2007 edition reminds one of the belligerence and courage of the right hander.
But then Rohit Sharma will also have to remember that he’s too good a batsman to ever contend with a T20I batting average of a little over 14 to his name against someone like Pakistan.
It’ll be about seeing the new ball through and perhaps even playing the watchful game on a wicket where one has little idea about the way things flow.
Moreover, Rohit would be doing an incredible service to the nation in playing his usually charismatic part in the mega clash in New York by not leaving the lion’s share of run scoring on close friend and familiar batting mate- Virat Kohli.
What do you reckon? That said, Rohit has 30 fifties in addition to 5 T20I hundreds to his name. It’s just the kind of record that when given a brief look can overwhelm an opponent. Time for Rohit to overwhelm India’s arch rivals in America for now!