Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody has said that despite the ongoing issues with Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, he isn’t concerned about their form with the bat ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Rohit Sharma started well in the tournament including a well-made century against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, since then, in his last few innings, he has only scored 88 runs at a strike rate of 104.8 with 12.6 as average.
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya’s batting performance has taken a downturn, averaging just 18.18 runs compared to 31.45 in the previous edition. Additionally, his bowling figures are concerning, with an economy rate of 10.59 marking his poorest performance in the tournament.
Nevertheless, former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody has expressed his confidence in both players to rediscover their form before the T20 World Cup, which kicks off on June 1st.
"I wouldn't be overly concerned with Rohit Sharma's form at this stage. When it comes to representing his country for major events like an ICC World Cup, I see the experience of Rohit Sharma as invaluable, not just with the bat but as the captain as well.
When it comes to form for players like Rohit Sharma, the way the event is structured, there are several games in the group stage for players to find some form against less competitive sides. When it comes to individual form or team form momentum can be captured quite early and then the team will be peaking at the right time when it comes to the back end of the tournament," Moody told IANS.
"Same answer as Rohit. They’re both having challenging times when it comes to their franchise and Hardik is a critical part of that side because in ICC events you don’t have impact players, so your all-rounders are important when it comes to creating balance in your playing XI. I am sure Hardik Pandya will benefit from those early games, getting some sort of momentum and confidence back into his game, more so with the bat than the ball.
In recent games, he has found some sort of rhythm and form with the ball in hand. T20 can be quite a fickle format when it comes to batting in the middle order or as a player who comes in the back end of the innings. I am sure he will have his moments in those first few games to recapture some sort of form into his batting," added Moody.
India will begin its T20 WC journey on June 5 against Ireland in New York.
(IANS inputs)
