Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has opened up on Rohit Sharma’s form after he scored a fine century in the second ODI against England at Cuttack on Sunday. Chopra noted that Rohit has resolved his form concerns to a large extent but he hasn’t yet found a permanent solution.
Rohit scored an impressive knock of 119 runs off just 90 balls with the help of a dozen fours and seven sixes. The Indian skipper played a key role in helping his team chase down 305 runs with four wickets and 33 balls to spare.
Earlier, Rohit could only manage 31 runs in three Test matches against Australia and was dismissed after scoring only two runs in the opening ODI against England.
“Is Rohit Sharma completely back in form? Why am I asking this question? Firstly, his ODI numbers have been incredible. It seemed like what happened in Tests, wouldn’t make a difference because he scored runs in Sri Lanka the last time he played ODIs. Here, he has played two matches and scored a hundred in one,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“So he is insulated, there is no problem in this format. However, the truth is that the decline we saw wasn’t because of a format, the form had gone suddenly, which is not a good thing. However, does everything become fine after scoring one hundred? They become fine to a large extent but not fully,” Chopra added.
The renowned commentator wants Rohit to face 50-60 balls in the final ODI against England and score his runs at run-a-ball to gain more confidence.
“I am saying that he should play 50-60 balls in this match as well and it’s fine even if he plays at a run-a-ball. However, once innings are put together one after the after, the wagon comes back on track. Bad form is when you continuously get out early. Good form is when you continuously score good runs,” he said.
“If you are failing in four out of five innings, it means you are in poor form. However, if you score runs even thrice in five innings, then you are in decent form. Four times – great form. Five times – you are Sir Don Bradman. So I feel this knock is important for Rohit Sharma’s self-confidence as it shouldn’t come to his mind that he scored a century, but something is missing,” Chopra elaborated.
The final and third ODI between India and England will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
