Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar felt that current skipper and opener Rohit Sharma tried to do too much during the first T20I against Australia in Mohali on Sept 20th and got out in the process despite hitting a six and a four in his short stay.
Rohit Sharma tried to take the attack to the Australian fast bowlers after Aaron Finch won the toss and opted to field. However, he perished early in a bit to go after every delivery. Rohit played and missed a couple before he was dismissed for 11 from 9 deliveries.
India eventually lost the first T20I despite making 208/6 with Hardik Pandya making 71* and KL Rahul making 55. Cameron Green’s quick 61 and Matthew Wade’s 45* in the death helped Australia chase down the total with 4 wickets in hand.
"With Rohit Sharma, the range of shot that he has, he doesn't really have to do what he is looking to do over here, that is step down the pitch even before the bowler has released the ball. The way he has been playing T20 cricket before that, his scoring and strike rate has been phenomenal. It's been absolutely terrific. He hasn't tried to do anything more. Over here, in the last few matches, it just seems to me that he is looking to do a little bit more and, in the process, getting out,” Gavaskar told India Today.
IND v AUS 2022: "Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling at death is a concern"- Sunil Gavaskar
Rohit Sharma has scored just two half centuries- 64 against West Indies and 72 against Sri Lanka in his last 9 T20Is with his next best score being 33. He has tried to go after the bowlers from the start and has lost his wicket despite getting starts.
"The white ball might move as much as the red ball. But there is just that slight movement which can be the difference between the ball hitting the middle of the bat and the ball taking the edge of the bat. So it means it could be hitting the ball into the air rather than into the stands. I do believe that Rohit needs to give himself that little more time, he has got all the shots in the book. Even if he gets off to a slow start, he can triple it by the time his innings is over," he added.
