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.
#2 Not Leaving Enough Balls Outside The Off Stump
Test cricket is a game of patience especially when you are batting at the top of the order. You need to leave a lot of balls for the keeper to collect and wait for the one in your area to play your shot.
But, Rohit, having played so much of white-ball cricket in his career, has developed this habit of feeling the ball on his bat. It’s hard for him to go through periods where he leaves balls after balls.
If somebody bowls to him outside the off stump consistently for a few overs and plays with his patience, there are good chances that Rohit falls in the trap. He has this itch of hitting deliveries rather than leaving them, even if the pitch is offering movement.
Although, there were signs in the South Africa series that Rohit is working on that aspect of his game, it will be interesting how he goes in New Zealand where the conditions will be much more favorable to the fast bowlers.
#3 Not Picking The Leg Spinners Out Of The Hand
Rohit Sharma is generally one of the best players of spin going around. Even when the ball is turning big, he can jump out of his crease and get to the pitch of the ball to loft it in the “V’, that is through mid-on and mid-off.
He is very strong on the sweep shot as well. The only weakness that Rohit has against spin bowling is he doesn’t pick the leg spinners out of the hand.
The leg spinners bowl the googlies out of the back of their hands and you have to pick it while they are releasing the ball. If you don’t pick it at the time of the release, you are not likely to pick it off the deck.
There have been instances in the past where the leg spinners have outfoxed Rohit early on in his innings with googlies. Rohit has played for the stock leg spinning delivery and the ball has gone through the gate, turning the other way.