Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan is not worried about Rohit Sharma’s form. Rohit hasn’t got a big score under his bag recently but he has been striking the ball well in the recent past. The right-hander scored 34 runs in the opening ODI against New Zealand but could not get a big score despite getting off to a start.
The Indian skipper then scored a fine knock of 51 runs off 50 balls in the second ODI against the Kiwis in the run-chase of 109 runs on Saturday. Rohit timed the ball to perfection and looked at his absolute best during the knock.
Rohit revealed he is trying to bat aggressively in the middle and feels it is important for the team’s cause. The veteran batter had also scored 83 runs in the opening ODI against Sri Lanka. However, he scored his last ODI century back in 2020 against Australia and since then he hasn’t been able to get to the three-digit mark.
Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports, ”I am repeatedly saying that you shouldn’t worry too much about Rohit Sharma’s form at all. This was his first half-century while chasing against New Zealand and it came at the right time.”
Pathan feels Rohit looked in full control during his knock and this knock must have given him a lot of confidence.
“He made only one mistake when the ball hit his pads, there was an lbw appeal, they wanted to take the DRS but didn’t take it. But other than that, he looked in complete control, we saw amazing shots, on the up on the off side and the leg side.”
Pathan added that the conditions were not easy to bat as New Zealand was skittled out for only 108 runs. There was a lot of help for the bowlers with the new ball but Rohit and Shubman Gill added 72 runs for the opening alliance.
Pathan said, “The conditions were not easy, they were slightly difficult. The ball was moving a little under the lights. The scoreboard pressure was not there but he had to go close to a half-century. That milestone has come and if he gets an opportunity going forward, he will make the milestone even bigger because he is batting extremely well.”
“The problem is that when you are chasing a low score, you try to hit from the first ball. That was not the case. He respected the conditions and then played his favorite shots once he got set.”
The third ODI will be played in Indore on Tuesday.
