Since Rohit has been struggling with his performance in recent months, Ashwin extended his support to Captain Rohit Sharma, urging him to regain his rhythm ahead of the Champions Trophy.
In the 1st ODI India V/s England on the 6th of February, Captain Rohit Sharma struggled with just scoring 2 runs off 7 balls before being dismissed by player Saqib Mahmood, despite India’s comfortable win, concerns about Rohit’s form persist. This lack of performance was also seen in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India’s spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin expressed concern over Rohit Sharma’s form and offered advice acknowledging the hate cricketers face during dips in performance and with only a few days left for the ICC Champions Trophy. He emphasized that the only way for Rohit to silence critics is by performing well. Rohit only managed to score a total of 166 runs in his last 16 innings across formats.
Ashwin described Rohit’s situation as a “catch-22” and expressed faith in Rohit’s ability to score a century soon, alleviating pressure and answering critics.
“This is not easy. If you look at it from Rohit’s POV, then obviously, it’s frustrating for him. He wants to concentrate on the series.”
“But people will ask questions. The ones who are watching will obviously ask. It’s a catch-22 situation. You can’t stop these questions. When will they stop? When he performs,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin also tried to support the player and stated, “But as a cricketer, I understand what Rohit is going through. It’s not easy. I pray that he does well and scores a century in this series.”
Rohit’s Frustration with Media
During the pre-series press conference, Rohit lost his cool when asked about his comfort in returning to white-ball cricket after low Test scores. With irritation, Rohit asked, “What sort of a question is that? ……… This is a different format, different time.”
In response, he also defended himself and made a point saying “As usual, as cricketers, we know there will be ups and downs. I’ve faced that a lot in my career. This is nothing new to me. We know that every day is fresh, and every series is a new one. I’m looking forward to the challenge. Not looking at the past. Clearly, you don’t. So, I don’t have any reason to look at the past.”
Rohit also grew frustrated when questioned about his future plans after the Champions Trophy were true and wanted clarity with the BCCI reports.
“How is it relevant that I talk about my future plans, sitting here where there are 3 ODIs & a Champions Trophy coming in? The reports are going on for a no. of years but I’m not here to clarify those reports. My focus is on these games, we’ll see what happens afterwards.”
Rohit Proving His Worth Again
In the 2nd ODI between India and England played on the 9th of February in Cuttack, Captain Rohit Sharma again proved his excellency by delivering an outstanding performance.
He scored an impressive 119 runs off 90 balls, leading team India to a four-wicket win in just 44.3 overs. Rohit’s innings included 12 boundaries and 7 sixes, helping India chase down the target of 305 runs.
Rohit Sharma’s century was his 1st in ODIs in 16 months and marked an incredible return to form for the Indian captain. It was a much-needed boost for the Indian Captain Rohit Sharma and his team as they look ahead to the next match. The 3rd ODI IND V/S ENG is scheduled for the 12th of February at the Narendra Modi Stadiumin Ahmedabad, Gujarat,and the most anticipated ICC Champions Trophy INDIA V/S BANGLADESH on the 20th of Februaryin Dubai, UAE.
