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Former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim is wary of the potential negative impact of captaincy on Rohit Sharma’s batting. The elegant opening batter, Karim says, should be mindful of repercussions to his game if he happens to focus excessively on leadership.
Since taking over the reigns full-time with the West Indies ODI series, Rohit has had nine international innings with only one score of 50 or above to his name.
Rohit made a half-century in the opening one-dayer against the Calypso Kings in Ahmedabad but his best score since has been 44 in the opening T20I in Lucknow versus Sri Lanka.
Gauging an early pattern to Rohit Sharma’s captaincy stint, Karim says it is important for the experienced batter to ensure he doesn’t lose sight of his primary skill.
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“Rohit Sharma is in the XI because of his batting. Captaincy is an additional responsibility. He should not lose focus with regards to batting. Lot of times we have seen that captains are not able to perform as well in their primary skill. This should not happen,” Karim was quoted as saying on the ‘Khelneeti’ podcast.
But while wary of this initial pattern, Karim is hopeful of seeing Rohit manage the dual responsibility of captaining and batting for the country with greater efficiency with time and experience.
“This is just the starting phase for Rohit Sharma,” he said. “He will gradually realize how important his runs are for the team. His performance will be crucial in Australia (during the T20 World Cup), where the grounds are big and the opposition have top-quality bowlers. So yes, Rohit Sharma needs to work on this area.”
What is also important is to point out in what circumstances has this month’s dip come, especially in T20Is. Playing the West Indies, and opening alongside a struggling Ishan Kishan, Rohit had to take the aggressor’s route and press on the accelerator earlier than he has in the past.
The new norm continued against Sri Lanka on high-scoring tracks in Lucknow and Dharamshala. Taking greater risks at the start of his innings opened up more wicket-taking chances and Rohit missed out.
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