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Rohit Sharma silenced the critics again and is expected to remain in contention for selection for the 2027 ODI World Cup after securing two back-to-back effective knocks in the recently concluded series against Afghanistan.
On Saturday (June 20), the veteran opener completed his half-century to set the tone for India in the run chase at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Rohit Sharma returned after scoring 79 runs.
Rohit Sharma set the tone for India in the run chase
In the previous match too, in Dharamshala, Rohit could have added another half-century in his ODI tally if he had been able to score two more runs. He returned with 48 to stitch a strong partnership with the skipper, Shubman Gill. In the first of the three-match ODI series, Rohit’s innings came to an end because of an unfortunate runout, which forced him to leave the field with only 16 runs.
After the third match, former India pacer Mohit Sharma expressed that Rohit’s running between the wickets has impressed him a lot. Even after reaching the 50-run mark, the 39-year-old kept himself ready for a double down the run on the track with his 24-year-old batting partner, which showed how Rohit Sharma is eager to leave his impression behind the team’s success on a positive note.
Rohit's runnings between the wicket impresses Mohit Sharma
“If we look at it from the ODI World Cup 2027's point of view, everything is on track with Rohit. The biggest positive for me was that when Rohit ran the doubles with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Earlier, what used to happen is that you scored a 50 in the heat, you get tired, but here he was showing intent for that extra run while running between the wickets. Considering how much he has performed for India, the questions being raised should stop," Mohit Sharma said on Cricbuzz.
As all of the top three batters- Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and Yashasvi Jaiswal- have scored a good amount of runs against Afghanistan, it is going to be a headache for the team management as they will face challenges in selecting the openers in the future.
“There will be a massive headache now, because Yashasvi has scored an unbeaten hundred. The healthy competition will continue between them in the series to come, but what happens when KL Rahul returns to the team? Will Yashasvi or Rohit be benched? It is now entirely up to the team management," Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
Doubts over his fitness
Tiwary, a former Indian batter, highlights that Rohit Sharma will have to continue working on his fitness with the help of the trainers and physios to remain at the top of his game in the lead-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
“He has been working hard on his fitness; there is no doubt about it. But the trainers and physios also have to help him to bring him to top fitness, if there is any question about fitness. Now, he fielded for 50 overs, and then batted as well; it did not seem anywhere that there was any question mark on fitness," he added.
