Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has backed skipper Rohit Sharma to soon score a century in the ODI format. Rohit’s last century in the 50-overs version came back in 2020 against Australia. Since then the Indian captain has failed to get to the three-digit mark.
Rohit has been getting off to starts in the recent past but he has failed to convert them into substantial scores. The flamboyant batter started 2023 on a positive note as he scored a fine knock of 83 runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
The Indian opener scored 34 runs in the first ODI against New Zealand but threw away his wicket despite getting settled at the crease. However, Manjrekar feels it is a matter of time before Rohit scores a century.
“As long as India are getting the big scores, the team management wouldn’t be too worried. But, you want all your batters to be sort of get big scores,” Manjrekar said on host broadcaster Star Sports.
“Nonetheless, I don’t see any problem with the way he is hitting the ball. Today he was leaving a lot of balls outside the off-stump, which made me think he has got his mind set on getting the big score. And then the wicket happened. Mid-on and mid-off were inside the circle. So it’s a huge temptation for somebody like Rohit to try and play a shot like that,” the former batter explained on Sharma’s batting.
The commentator added Rohit is hitting the ball well in the middle and backed him to get a big score in the upcoming matches.
“I have no idea as to why the big scores are not coming. I don’t see any obvious signs there that he is not batting well. With Virat Kohli, we saw that he was not in the kind of form we expect or what got used to over the years,” Manjrekar said.
“Rohit Sharma seems to be striking the ball pretty well, goes to 30-40s, 70-80s in the series against Sri Lanka. But the hundreds are evading him. I don’t have a problem with him not getting hundreds as long as India are scoring 350 and above,” Manjrekar further added.
“A hundred might just be around the corner because there are no obvious signs that he is out of form or struggling,” the former player concluded with a hope.
Rohit is a massive player for India in the ODI format and he will look to deliver in the second ODI against the Kiwis on Saturday
