Mumbai: After 284 international caps in ODIs, Rohit Sharma is still judged on a series-to-series basis. Perhaps that is a direct consequence of his age or his form but it surely doesn’t leave a good taste in his mouth.
At one stage in the second ODI, when he had motored along to 48 off 39 balls under Lucknow’s sweltering heat, he looked set to double that score and add some more. With 11,641 runs to his name, a ton, even at 39, should suffice to keep the selectors happy and reinforce self-belief.
But then an indiscreet shot against the wily Rashid Khan sent him back to the dressing room with his second successive non-fifty score for the series.
Since Rohit committed to playing only the ODI format, he has scored a hundred and a fifty in Australia, two fifties against South Africa at home, three lean innings against New Zealand at home and is now one innings away from his Afghanistan showings being bracketed as below average.
An almost unsettling edginess surrounds the ODI batting powerhouse’s future. Beyond his runs and batting tempo, Rohit’s match fitness will be closely monitored. His runs in Australia, last year, when he appeared leaner, were refreshing; however, the hamstring injury during this IPL set him back. Even in the middle of this constant scrutiny, Rohit seamlessly switches to being the wise counsel to his batting partner at the crease. Surely, sooner than later, the Indian think tank must decide if Rohit’s experience measures favourably in their plans.
Rohit is experienced enough to know that the whispers will grow louder if he does not look the part in Friday’s final ODI of the series.India’s talent pipeline is flowing fiercely and stops for no one.
Virat Kohli’s injury opened up a playing eleven slot in the series and Ishan Kishan jumped at the opportunity, as he has ever since returning to the national fold. A 22-ball 34 at No.3 followed by a 79-ball 125 at No. 4 — he’s calling for attention just like he did in T20I cricket. If KL Rahul is the middle order insurance cover, Kishan could be pushing his case in the top order with his exhilarating form.
And what about the long-term bet Yashasvi Jaiswal, for whom in his brief ODI career, four failures have been separated by a hundred? The left-hander is set to get another shot to force his way through the top order logjam. Another recent ODI century-maker Ruturaj Gaikwad will be auditioning for the A team on Sunday in Sri Lanka. This, even as assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate named Sai Sudharasan as another one to watch in his pre-match media conference.
There were moments during the Shubman Gill-Kishan 3rd wicket stand (224 runs off 140 balls) in Lucknow when Afghanistan looked completely out-of-place. It’s been a tough series for the visitors; apart from Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s hundred in the 1st ODI, they have had very little to cheer about. They will play to give some respectability to the series scoreline.
Fast bowling gains
India has had positives in the bowling front too. Gurnoor Brar has lived up to the promise, extracting good bounce at impressive speeds from his strong shoulders. Prince Yadav has had his moments but would want another chance to better his claims. Harshit Rana has recovered and joined the team, although he is unlikely to play on Saturday. Nitish Reddy is expected to return.
The series may already be in the bag, but there are no dead-rubber bilaterals in Indian cricket with so many vying for the same berth.
