Rohit has had an underwhelming tournament so far. With Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav in great form and KL Rahul also getting some much-needed runs under his belt, Rohit must be feeling the pressure growing. For Rohit, everything has come the hard way. After a spectacular start to his career in 2007-08, he almost disappeared from the radar with Kohli coming into the scene and taking over the mantle. The same could be said about his Test career: two centuries to start with and then a sudden dip. Injuries made the situation worse. But just when he was about to be written off as a Test player, Rohit upped his game and established himself as one of the best openers in the world. Each time his white-ball form has been questioned, he has made amends to get back among runs. He has won more IPL titles than any other skipper and is the most successful white-ball captain this year.
Yet, he knows he is under the scanner. None of what he has done will suffice if he doesn’t dsomething worthwhile against England today.
More than the bowlers dismissing him, it’s been Rohit who has got out to some false shots. In the last match against Zimbabwe, he got out in the deep when he could have taken a bit more time to play himself in. For Rohit to shine, Rahul needs to be a little more positive upfront.
Rahul has looked good in the second half of his innings but if he can get India off to a strong start, it will ease some pressure on Rohit. The Adelaide Oval, venue for India-England semi-final, has smaller square boundaries, an area where Rohit is strong. Comparatively, England are a better team. With Sam Curran at No. 8 and Chris Woakes at 9, it is the strongest batting line-up in this T20 World Cup. In bowling, too, captain Jos Butler has seven options to choose from.
India, believe it or not, will start as the underdogs but it isn’t something that Rohit will be fussed about. In an interview soon after taking over as captain last year, Rohit had said: “The five hundreds in the 2019 [ODI] World Cup doesn’t really mean anything to me. The real deal was in the England dressing room. They have the trophy and that’s all that matters.” In Adelaide, he has the opportunity to stop England and ensure that the T20 World Cup trophy doesn’t make its way to the English dressing room. T20 cricket is a spectacle and what will unfold today is as big as it can get. Rohit, as captain of India, is the star cast. There are no retakes to this drama and Rohit knows it well.
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