On the eve of India’s second Super 12 clash in the ongoing T20 World Cup against Netherlands, Rohit Sharma’s coach Dinesh Lad expressed his concern over the Indian captain’s manner of dismissals lately, saying he must resort to playing the anchor’s role instead of a “high-risk” game.
Prior to the T20 World Cup, Rohit featured in a three-match T20I series against South Africa at home and recorded two ducks. The right-hander also looked out of touch in the warm-up fixtures against Western Australia XI and Australia, registering scores of 3 and 15 in the two innings that he batted.
In India’s T20 World Cup 2022 opener against arch-rivals Pakistan, Sharma managed to score only 4 runs before being dismissed by Haris Rauf.
“Yes, he is playing a high-risk game for quite some time now, which he should not. I have no idea why he is doing that. I think he is making a mistake in playing an overly aggressive game,” Lad told PTI in an interview on Wednesday (October 26).
“I feel he should spend more time on the crease and not throw his wicket away. I don’t want him to take chances in the first six overs of the powerplay. He should play his normal and natural game.
“He should try to play 17-18 overs and score around 70-80 runs in every match he plays,” he added.
The coach wants to see a change in Rohit’s approach in T20 cricket, especially in the ongoing ICC tournament in Australia.
“As his coach, I would like to see him as an anchor and not as a destroyer who plays high-risk games. If he stays on the wicket for some time, he will play long and useful innings.
“He plays too much in the air, maybe because sometimes it is needed in T20 cricket. But I would say he should go with controlled aggression. If he cuts down the risky shots, he will do well in every match.”
Talking about his last conversation with Rohit, Lad said: “The last time I spoke to him was before he went to the World Cup. We did not talk much about the technique as he has played so much cricket for India.
“I advised him to stay on the crease and play sensibly. I always want him to lead from the front and contribute maximum towards India’s victory. But he is not getting the time as he is throwing his wickets away.
“Sometimes he gets out cheaply playing rash shots and he has to face criticism for that.”
Dinesh Lad is confident that Rohit Sharma will bounce back strongly in the upcoming matches.
“I am sure Rohit will come back very strongly. I feel he must show some patience. He should spend more time on the crease. The wickets in Australia are ideally suited for his kind of game. He is a stroke player and the ball nicely comes into the bat.
“In T20 cricket, it’s difficult to talk about technique much. He should start enjoying the game more and do well for the country both as a player and as a captain.
“I am very happy and feel proud that my ward Rohit Sharma is leading India in the T20 World Cup. Just like India won the World Cup on his debut World Cup in 2007 I would like to see him lift the World Cup on his debut as captain.”
He further said that Rohit must try to settle in and play like Virat Kohli did during his awe-inspiring knock of 53-ball 82* against Pakistan.
“I feel that Rohit will start playing like a match-winner again. We are about to see the best of Rohit once again, like the 2019 World Cup in England.”
“He has won five IPL titles. He is an involved captain. He has self-belief. He knows how to take the best out of which player and how to utilise the best out of them.
“Our chances of lifting the World Cup have increased as the momentum is with us. Momentum is there in India’s favour after their thrilling victory over Pakistan on Sunday.”
(With PTI inputs)
