Rohit Sharma has been in phenomenal form this year in all formats of the game. He scored 5 hundreds during the ODI World Cup 2019, the most by any batsman in any edition of the World Cup ever and then, he carried that form to the longest format of the game as well.
Rohit got the opportunity to open the batting in the India vs South Africa test series and the Hitman grabbed it with both hands, scoring 3 hundreds in the 4 innings he played, including a double hundred.
But, Rohit’s recent success doesn’t mean his batting is flawless. He has always been good in conditions where the ball doesn’t move around that much, but whenever the ball does something in the air or off the pitch, Rohit is out of his comfort zone.
Rohit’s struggle against the moving ball is well documented. While he averages 99.84 in the test matches he has played in India, he only averages 26.32 in the test matches he has played outside.
Here are the 3 weaknesses in Rohit Sharma’s batting which he needs to work on going ahead –
#1 Playing Away From The Body
Rohit doesn’t get his front foot right forward and doesn’t try and get close to the ball. He takes only a little stride forward and lets his hands do all the work.
The fact that he doesn’t get too close to the ball serves him well in limited-over cricket because it allows him to extend his arms and play the lofted shots.
However, in test cricket, when the ball is moving around, your feet also come into play along with your hands. You have to smother the movement of the ball.
When your bat is close to your pad and your weight is forward, not only are you able to close the gate for the incoming deliveries to clean you up or trap you in front, you are automatically not throwing your hands at anything going away.
That’s something Rohit needs to sort before he travels to New Zealand.