Is Rohit Sharma’s form becoming a concern for India?

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has been under scrutiny due to his form with the bat ever since he took over the leadership role. Rohit is regarded as one of the best players ever to play white-ball cricket and is one of the most productive batters in the world. His accomplishments in the Indian Premier League over the years serve as evidence of his leadership abilities as well as batting might.

The Mumbai Indians’ captain has led his team to five IPL championships, the most of any skipper in the league’s 16-year-long history. But, the stalwart, who is the only Indian with the most number of double-centuries in ODI cricket (three), has been struggling with the bat in the limited-over format and has failed to reach the three-figure mark since January 2020.

Speaking of his form since the completion of the 2021 T20 World Cup, he has averaged 27.16 in the shortest format of the game. He represented India in only 12 ODIs since the conclusion of the 2021 WC and was out of the mix for the majority of games. His performance in the ODIs has improved of late as he did a tremendous job against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but his overall form is still a matter of concern.

Amid the decline in his graph, experts and pundits believe that he should do away with the captaincy so as to focus on his personal game. Being an opening batter, his contributions matter a lot to the team, as the batting unit looks to build from the start given by the openers. But unfortunately, Sharma has not managed to do so consistently.

Comeback on the cards

But while speaking of a captain, the player’s form is not the only thing that has to be looked upon. Rohit is a brilliant thinker and his on-field decisions have done wonders not just for India, but also for his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.

Rohit’s tryst with injuries is also something that needs to be considered. It is difficult for a player to bounce back in form after recovering from a serious injury. India began their new year with a win against Sri Lanka, and Rohit too looked in fine touch as he returned after recovering from his thumb injury.

If Virat Kohli can return to form and notch up three ODI centuries within a span of a few weeks, so could Rohit. It took time for Kohli to get going after his lean patch and Rohit deserves similar patient treatment. With the ODI World Cup approaching, he will be looking to regain his mojo and lead India to victory.