Published: Jun 15, 2011, 10:44 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 26, 2014, 11:42 AM (IST)
By Madan Mohan
An Indian Premier League (IPL) edition and ODIs against the current, lacklustre West Indies cannot go a long way in convincing me of the good form of a batsman. But I confess that I have felt at least a bit encouraged by some signs of consistency from the prodigal Rohit Sharma.
I liked the look of his batting right from the first CB series final at Sydney in 2008. Then, too, his endemic lapses of concentration and focus were evident, but he got on top of these weaknesses and played a handy innings more, impressive for his maturity than his statistical score. Also impressive was the ease with which he worked his way around bowlers like Brett Lee, still the fast and sharp tearaway we once knew him to be.
And yet, three years hence, he’s just about hit the road to regaining and cementing his place in the limited-overs side. Like Ishant Sharma, another promising find from that tour to Australia, he missed the World Cup bus. And boy, that would have stung! They have both gone astray and lost direction. It is not so surprising with respect to Ishant because he was just one more in a long line of seamers who had badly lost their way. It just hurt more because he generated the kind of pace, bounce and fire India not seen in an Indian fast bowlers.
But Rohit’s case was baffling. Unlike Ishant, he didn’t look out of sorts. He ran up annoying 20s and 30s, failing to build on his starts and not capitalizing on opportunities to score big. To an extent, I felt the push given to Suresh Raina after the first edition of the IPL was a factor. It eventually robbed Rohit of his place in the team even though at that point he probably didn’t yet deserve to be culled.
Three years later, the move looks absolutely justified, but from that point onwards, Rohit neither had a permanent place in the side nor batted in the same position when he did get a look in. And rather than fighting harder for his place, he seemed to sulk and retreat into a shell, much in the manner of Yuvraj Singh during his prolonged slump in 2010.
Perhaps, missing out on the World Cup has sparked some belligerence again within this young talent. The additional responsibility brought on by the absence of senior players from the side playing in West Indies may have also done the trick. Whatever, 200 runs in four ODIs is not half bad when you consider that in the ODI series in South Africa, he managed all of 49 runs from five matches.
That of course brings us to the quality of the opposition and why judgment is best reserved yet on whether this is indeed a return to form. If he makes it to the tour to England, that’ll be his litmus test. In swinging, moist conditions, he could pay heavily for his characteristic looseness, so his resolve as well as ability to adapt will be tested there.
Should he come out of that test with flying colours, then the Indian ODI team is not going to get weaker in a hurry.
(Madan Mohan, a 25-year old CA from Mumbai, is passionate about writing, music and cricket. Writing on cricket is like the icing on the cake.)
