Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the two stalwarts of Indian cricket but at present, both of them are going through a rough patch. They struggled to get runs in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 and had one of the worst seasons in their respective careers.
For Kohli, it was a horrendous season of the IPL in which he secured three ducks; the most in a single season. He might have scored a couple of half-centuries but the consistency seemed a distant dream. He ended up the season with 341 runs to his credit at an average of 22.73
Similarly, Rohit too seemed to be lacking the confidence with which he usually bats. He managed to score only 268 runs at an average of 19.14; the worst in the IPL history.
The dip in form of both star Indian batters has become one of the major matters of concern, given the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes there will be pressure on Rohit and batter Virat heading into the mega ICC tournament.
“It is yet to be seen if this will be the last IPL or the last World Cup for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but, there will be pressure on them to maintain their form. In the latter part of the career, the pressure keeps on mounting. For instance, Sachin was constantly asked about being unable to score a hundred,” Akhtar told Sportskeeda.
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also felt that the duo will be on the lookout to make a deep impact in the tournament Down Under. He said the Indian batters would be hoping to lead the Men in Blue to their second title win after 15 years.
“They did not have a good IPL season. They will be hoping that they lead the team to a win in the T20 World Cup. With the next generation coming up, it can’t be said for certain which player will get opportunities,” Harbhajan said.
Both Rohit and Virat have been rested by the BCCI ahead of the UK tour. They will board the flight to London with the Indian squad for the Birmingham Test, starting July 1, followed by a white-ball series.
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