1 year ago
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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is not too convinced with Rohit Sharma’s slow footwork at the start of his innings, especially against deliveries that jag back into the right-hander. India skipper Rohit Sharma had been dismissed LBW for a six-ball duck in the first match of the World Cup campaign, with Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood seaming a delivery back into him.
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Writing in his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar said that in the previous tournament in 2019, Rohit Sharma had scored five centuries and a few half-centuries. Gavaskar said that Rohit’s footwork seemed notably slow at the outset, making him vulnerable to deliveries that moved in.
“This time around, which could well be his last World Cup, he has begun with a zero in the first game. The footwork is palpably slow to start with and that makes him vulnerable to the incoming delivery. If he can rediscover the 2019 form, then India will be assured of a very good start to their campaign,” Gavaskar wrote in his column.
Rohit led the batting charts in the 2019 World Cup with 648 runs, which included a world record of five centuries and a half-century in nine games. He has been in good form leading up to the World Cup as he has notched up half-centuries in four of his previous five innings.
Despite a disastrous start against Australia, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul joined hands to bail India out and give them a comprehensive win. The hosts will now take on Afghanistan in their next match in Delhi and this is where India’s top order would look to get back amongst the runs.
Unfortunately for India, Shubman Gill is set to miss the Afghanistan match and also the high-octane clash against arch-rivals Pakistan as he continues to recover from dengue. This is a huge loss for India since Gill was in roaring form this year, especially in ODIs, where he scored 1,230 runs in 20 games at an average of 72.35, including five centuries.
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