Cricket World Cup 2023: The former India batting coach, Sanjay Bangar, has offered valuable advice to Rohit Sharma, urging the Indian skipper to return to his ‘accumulator role’ at the top of the order rather than adopting an aggressive approach. Bangar believes that this change in strategy will help Rohit score the big hundreds that have eluded him in recent times.
Rohit Sharma, who has only managed to score three centuries in ODIs since the conclusion of the 2019 ODI World Cup, has been gearing up for the upcoming World Cup in fine form. His performances during the Asia Cup, where he notched up three successive fifties, and his blistering 57-ball 81 against Australia in a recent ODI in Rajkot have highlighted his exceptional batting prowess.
Traditionally, Rohit has been known for taking his time at the start of his innings, a strategy that has allowed him to amass numerous ‘daddy hundreds’ in ODIs. Prior to the 2019 World Cup, Rohit had notched up 27 centuries, including three double hundreds, at an average of 48.91 and a strike rate of 88.65. However, since the World Cup, his century count has dwindled to just three. The last time he surpassed the 150-run mark was in the 2019 World Cup, during which he registered five centuries. His solitary century in ODIs since the start of 2021 came against the West Indies in Visakhapatnam when he scored 159.
In recent times, Rohit has been playing the role of the aggressor in his opening partnerships with Shubman Gill, who adopts a more patient approach before launching an attack on the bowlers.
Sanjay Bangar emphasized the importance of Rohit resuming his role as an accumulator, saying, “I feel he is an accumulator (what role should he play?). He is someone who has had phenomenal success as an ODI player. And many times that he has scored his hundred, it’s around the 30th over. All those 3 double hundreds that we speak of and rave about so much, the acceleration came toward the last 10-12 overs where he just toys with the bowling.”
Bangar believes that if Rohit can stick to this template, ensuring he is at the crease around the 35-over mark, India can be assured of posting a formidable total of approximately 350 runs. He also noted that Rohit has the luxury of partnering with the fearless Shubman Gill, allowing him to adopt a more patient and accumulative approach to his innings.
Rohit Sharma acknowledged that his recent intent to play more aggressively at the start of his innings has led to a dip in his batting average. However, he clarified that this change in approach was a conscious decision made in line with the modern requirements of ODI cricket, which often demand greater firepower throughout the innings.
Speaking about his aggressive approach, Rohit said, “Everyone wants to bat long and score those 150s and 170s. I still want to do that, but it is always nice to do something that you have not done. It only adds up to your list of batting abilities. Unless you do it, you won’t know it. I know if I play high-risk shots, I will get out a few times, but I didn’t bother. This was communicated by me to the management that this is how I want to play.”
As the Cricket World Cup 2023 draws closer, Rohit Sharma, leading the Indian side, faces the challenge of striking the right balance between aggression and accumulation at the top of the order. India will face the Netherlands in their second warm-up match before their World Cup campaign opener against Australia on October 8 in Ahmedabad. All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma as he strives to deliver match-winning performances and steer India to World Cup glory once again.