Rohit Sharma’s career can be comparable to a sine curve, with so many ups and downs ever since he made his mark at the inaugural World T20. Like every other cricketer who comes from the grounds of Mumbai, comparisons with Sachin were eminent. But down the years, many equally or lesser talented players have made their mark in the national team and cemented their Test place much before him.
But since the last year, at last, the prodigy is making his mark. After an outstanding debut series (incidentally, which was Sachin’s last), it seemed that Rohit was here to stay. But about 8 months down the line, situation seems back to square one. Poor series in SA and NZ, following it with a poor IPL, has again raised question mark against this talented player.
But it is not all over for the Mumbaikar. He has been drafted into the Test team for the tour of England (England vs India 2014), and now he needs to lift his game and perform in the BIG series i.e. England vs India 2014.
- A large pool of talented batsmen are waiting for their opportunities after scoring truck-load of runs at the domestic level. Robin had an incredible domestic season and IPL, yet he was overlooked. But, if Rohit fails this time around, he will have to face the axe.
- If he is dropped once more, he might not be able to claw back into the team again. The likes of Mohammad Kaif and Wasim Jaffer, in spite of some good domestic performances, were overlooked because of the age factor. Though they were in good form even in their late twenties, they were ignored for the younger lot. With the likes of Karun Nair and Sanju Samson, making waves, he might be overlooked, if he’s dropped after this series.
- His peers; Rahane, Kohli and Pujara, have arrived at the international scene after him, and have firmly cemented their places in the playing 11 with some good performances when the team needed it to. Though Rohit has a couple of centuries and test fifties, it has come under not-so impressive circumstances. It could dent Rohit’s confidence if he doesn’t come good this time around. This could seriously dent his confidence.
- 27 is an age where a person peaks physically. If he cannot come good now, he might go into steady decline. With fewer and fewer tests being played nowadays, it won’t be a surprise if he fails in this series, and eventually slips into the darkness due to bad form. Being fit is an important factor to succeed internationally, and after 27, it is a challenge to be physically fit always.
England vs India 2014 is a very important series for India, and even more important for Rohit. It will be interesting to see Rohit’s approach in England, against the swinging cherry.
