T20 World Cup 2024: Rohit Sharma exposed on Live TV for this weakness

Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer has shared his thoughts on Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Rohit Sharma's struggles against left-arm spinners in the ongoing IPL 2024, as the Indian skipper has been struggling for form ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Jaffer noted Rohit’s struggles against left-arm spinners due to his front leg placement, making it challenging for him to handle deliveries angling into him. Even the right-arm bowlers have exploited this weakness, but left-armers pose a unique challenge to Rohit with their angle.

While acknowledging Rohit’s awareness of his weaknesses, Jaffer lauded the Indian skipper’s strategy of counter-attacking to unsettle bowlers and minimize the impact of his vulnerability.

Rohit Sharma's dip in form raises alarm bells for India

However, Jaffer pointed out instances like Trent Boult's dismissal with an away-swinger and mistiming against Khaleel and said that there is room for improvement for Rohit in handling such deliveries.

Meanwhile, Rohit has had a mixed IPL 2024 season with the bat. His recent performances, especially in the last three innings, have been below par, as he failed to surpass the ten-run mark. This dip in form has raised concerns with the T20 World Cup 2024 looming on the horizon.

A notable trend in Sharma's dismissals during the ongoing IPL 2024 has been his struggles against left-arm pacers. The right-handed batter has been dismissed by left-arm fast bowlers five times this season, and Trent Boult, Sam Curran, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mohsin Khan got the better of him.

Rohit has had a history against left-armers in the past, but he adopted the counter-attacking strategy to handle his weakness. However, the resurgence of his weakness and his poor form is a big concern for India because a lot of quality left-backs will be participating in the upcoming mega event and will try to make the most of the Indian skipper’s weakness against him.

He had his problems against left-arm spinners: Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “He had his problems against left-arm spinners. The way he plants his front leg, you could always feel that anything that's coming in will trouble him. Even right-handed bowlers have found a way to get him out. But left-armers create an angle cwhich makes it more difficult. In the recent past, he has gone after them; he tries to slog them and sometimes walks towards the bowler to negate the swing.”

Jaffer further noted, “He had his problems. I thought Trent Boult got him out nicely with an away-swinger, which he wouldn't have expected. He mistimed a drive against Khaleel, so I won't call it a well-planned dismissal. But there's a loophole in his game which he knows. He tries to counter-attack and get them off their line, and that is smart from him. He tries to avoid the problem through his attacking skills.”

At the end, Jaffer suggested that Rohit should adopt a more patient approach at the start of his innings, stressing the need to spend some time settling in rather than attempting an aggressive approach soon. He further advised Rohit to focus on timing the ball rather than relying solely on power hitting. However, Jaffer expressed concern over the upcoming match-ups against left-arm bowlers for Rohit, highlighting them as potential challenges for the Indian skipper.