Is Rohit Sharma a cause for worry? The Indian skipper managed to score just 23 runs from 19 balls in the IND vs BAN warm-up match. For all the talk about his improved intent, the opener ended his inning with a 121.05. But there’s more to the story than just the statistics.
Why Rohit Sharma couldn’t race off the blocks
For starters, one has to remember that this was the first time that Rohit or anyone else was playing at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. Pacers were also getting some early seam movement, and we saw Shoriful Islam bamboozle both openers (Sanju Samson and Rohit).
As expected from the drop-in pitch from Adelaide Oval, the pitch had some bounce. However, it wasn’t like the ball was coming to the bat. Due to the inconsistent bounce, no players looked certain. One ball kicked up from the pitch while others stayed on track.
What went right
Being the senior batter, Rohit Sharma soaked up all the pressure in the IND vs BAN warm-up. At the end of the two-over mark, the Men in Blue had scored just 11 runs for the loss of one wicket. In the very next over, Rohit smashed two fours and eased things off.
In the fourth over, he hit a maximum and kept the runs flowing as Rishabh Pant took his time to get in as he returned to the blue jersey after 524 days. Unfortunately, he failed to kick on. He was set, and Pant had started to light up the Bangladeshi bowlers as well. A 23 (19) may seem scratchy and sluggish, but given the situation, it was bad for the Indian skipper.
