India captain Rohit Sharma’s numbers have dropped considerably across the formats ever since the veteran opener was named the full-time skipper of the Indian cricket team in all three formats of the game.
Recently, the right-hander suffered a thumb injury on the Bangladesh tour, which led him to miss the two ODIs and two-match Test series against the Tigers and then the recent T20I series against Sri Lanka.
However, Rohit is now set to return to lead Team India in the three-match ODI series against the Islanders, which is set to get underway on Tuesday (January 10) in Guwahati.
Ahead of the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, former Indian all-rounder, Irfan Pathan said that Rohit is a fantastic captain, but he must pay a lot of attention to his form and fitness in order to provide more value to the national team.
As reported by India Today, Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports: “There is one thing about the captaincy, he is a fantastic captain of this team. He will manage this team very well and extremely easily but two things - he needs to give a lot of attention to his form and fitness.”
He added, “When his form comes back, this Indian team which is getting ready for the 50-over World Cup, you will not get a more solid team than India, especially in these conditions where the World Cup is going to be played. Absolutely, his level has gone down slightly, based on his standards.”
Pathan concluded, “He is an amazing batter. The five centuries he scored in the 2019 World Cup, he batted amazingly well. He will have to probably remember that and regain his form. He will come back refreshed. Hopefully, he will come with preparation. He will have to regularly pay attention to his fitness and form and he will do that. He is already a great player, there is no doubt about that.”
(With Star Sports Inputs)
