Rohit Sharma failed to live up to his potential in the three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand. The Kiwis beat the Men in Blue for the first time in an ODI series on home soil. Across the three matches, Rohit could only accumulate 61 runs at an average of 20.33 and a strike rate of 76.25.
Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull asked whether the legendary batter has the hunger to continue playing until the T20 World Cup.
“I feel with Rohit, he’s always had something to chase, in terms of
a goal in mind, whether it be a T20 World Cup or a 50-over World Cup. I just wonder, that 2027 World Cup in South Africa, is that too far away? Does he still have that real hunger?” Doull said on Star Sports.
Doull also pointed out that the former India skipper might not get too much game time at the international level heading into the 50-over World Cup, as he has already retired from Tests and T20Is. India's next ODI assignment is in June.
“The last little while, and even coming up over the next few weeks, we’re building towards a T20 World Cup. So there has been very little one-day cricket over the past four months and there will be very little in the next three or four months as well. When you’re only playing one format, you don’t get a huge number of opportunities,” he added.
Despite the scratchy performance against New Zealand, Rohit fared well on the tour of Australia last year, as he finished as the highest run-getter. He also had a commendable outing in the subsequent series at home against South Africa. The Nagpur-born made 146 runs at an average of 48.67 across the three games.
Rohit will now aim to play a crucial role for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), a tournament where he is the second-highest run-getter of all time.
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