Pressure? What pressure? Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still have it!
Speculation was rife that the third ODI between India and England, held at Lord’s on Sunday, would be Rohit Sharma’s last international match, given his performances in the series decider.
Multiple reports had said the same thing in the lead-up to the match, as there was a general belief that neither the Indian selectors nor the team management saw him as part of India’s 2027 ODI World Cup team. But Rohit, who has not won this title in his illustrious career, has already made up his mind to be part of the 2027 World Cup team.
And when everything was going against him, Rohit was expected to perform with his bat, but there was no certainty that this would help him achieve his dream.
And that’s what he did. He scored a scintillating 138 off 110 balls, became the oldest Indian to hit a hundred in the 50-over format at 39, and became the first Indian to do so at Lord’s. This was his eighth hundred in the format in England.
There is no clarity on whether this knock was enough to keep him from being dropped, as the selectors want to give chances to a youngster like Yashasvi Jaiswal. Rohit could not have done much more to save his career.
It should be noted that besides skipper Shubman Gill, who scored a gritty 77 off 84 balls, the only other player who kept the team alive in the mammoth chase of 388 was Virat Kohli, who scored a brilliant 74 off 60 balls and almost took the team across the line.
Besides Rohit, Kohli is the other player whose future looks uncertain under Gautam Gambhir’s transition of the Indian team. But he remains in sublime form in this format, averaging 60 over his last 10 innings, which makes it difficult for the selectors to drop him.
Unlike Rohit, Kohli is not under too much pressure, but if he fails to perform in a few matches, his position will come under the spotlight. At the same time, this duo has also proved why they are undroppable from the side.
No substitute for Rohit and Kohli’s skills and experience. Although India lost the third ODI by 27 runs, they were still in the chase until the 45th over, when Kohli was dismissed. The visitors still needed 73 runs to win, and that did not look impossible.
But after Kohli’s dismissal, India’s middle order could not handle the pressure, and they failed to build crucial partnerships.
Kohli’s skill set probably helped him become one of the best chasers in the sport.
At the same time, Rohit has the brilliant ability to change gears quite easily once he is set. He helps the team reach the required run rate comfortably because he can smash fours easily.
This combination of skills has helped the Indian team become one of the best in this format over the last 15 years. Rohit can set the base, while Kohli can dominate in finishing a chase.
It was evident on Sunday when they went all guns blazing while chasing a mammoth target at Lord’s, smashing fours and sixes comfortably.
The Indian team will need the skill set and experience that both players have for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, considering the rest of the batting attack has not mastered the patience and skills needed to perform consistently on challenging surfaces, which produce bounce and movement, as South Africa will also have similar pitches.
