India opener Rohit Sharma has adopted an aggressive approach in T20Is this year where he’s been attacking from the outset of the innings, thus giving the likes of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli the time and space to settle themselves in.
Rohit Sharma will be leading India for the first time in an ICC tournament in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Rohit and India’s task is cut out as they face arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening encounter, this Sunday at the MCG.
Opponent-wise, Sharma has one of his worst records against Pakistan in T20Is. In 9 T20I knocks against the Men In Green, Sharma has scored only 110 runs – with a best of 30* which was way back in 2007 T20 WC final – at a strike rate of 123.
Here are 3 Pakistani bowlers who could trouble Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup 2022 match:
Shaheen Afridi
Not just Rohit Sharma, but all of India’s top-three need to be wary of the threat that is Shaheen Afridi. For Afridi was the main wrecker-in-chief in the India-Pakistan clash in last year’s T20 WC game in Dubai.
He had Rohit Sharma lbw for a duck, followed by bowling out KL Rahul, and then returned to take Kohli’s wicket too. Historically, Rohit has been vulnerable to left-arm seamers in the powerplay – whether it was Mohammad Amir, Trent Boult, and recently Reece Topley and Obed McCoy.
Shaheen had missed the Asia Cup due to a knee injury, but he’s back now, bowling full tilt in the warm-ups. Afridi and Pakistan will be hoping for a similar performance from the star pacer in this year’s T20WC; Rohit and co. would have prepared well to tackle Afridi.
Haris Rauf
One of the few fast bowlers in the world who is a wicket-taking option both in the powerplay and in the death over – Haris Rauf will be key to Pakistan’s chances in this tournament, and he’s someone who has immense experience of playing in the BBL.
His form has been sensational: 48 T20I wickets since 2021, the fourth-highest in the world. Of these wickets, 12 have come in the power-play while 29 have come in the death overs (last 4), making Rauf an asset for the Pakistani team.
In the second Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, Rauf troubled Rohit Sharma and eventually got him out with a hard-length delivery. Even though Sharma is good on the back foot, with his pulls and cuts, Rauf is going to look to hurry the Indian opener with hard and short lengths while also surprised him with fuller deliveries.
Mohammad Nawaz/
Left-handed all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz has seen a terrific rise in T20Is in the last couple of years. In 32 T20Is since last year, Nawaz, a left-arm orthodox spinner, has taken 32 wickets – out of which 25 have been right-handed batsmen – an indication of him being a really effective match-up spinner.
Nawaz also dismissed both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Asia Cup a couple of months ago, both the batters holing in the deep while playing attacking shots.
Even if Rohit survives and goes through the new-ball burst of the Pakistani seamers, he will then have to attack Nawaz and Shadab, both of whom turn the ball away from him. This is the test of the highest quality that Rohit Sharma would face in the competition.
