Team India will take on Netherlands in their second match of the T20 World Cup campaign and the side will be aiming to keep its winning momentum intact, having registered a dramatic four-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. India's star batter Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock, remaining unbeaten on 82 off 53 deliveries to steer a successful 160-run chase in Melbourne. However, a major concern for the Indian team has been the form of its captain, Rohit Sharma.
Rohit failed to get going in the opening match against Pakistan, scoring only 4 off seven deliveries before he found a thick edge travelling to first slip against Haris Rauf. Rohit's childhood coach Dinesh Lad is not too pleased with the batter's approach of late, insisting that Rohit is more inclined towards playing a “high-risk” game.
"Yes, he is playing a high-risk game for quite some time now, which he should not. I have no idea why he is doing that. I think he is making a mistake in playing an overly aggressive game," Lad told PTI in an interview on Wednesday.
“I feel he should spend more time on the crease and not throw his wicket away. I don't want him to take chances in the first six overs of the powerplay. He should play his normal and natural game.
{{/usCountry}}“I feel he should spend more time on the crease and not throw his wicket away. I don't want him to take chances in the first six overs of the powerplay. He should play his normal and natural game.
{{/usCountry}}“He should try to play 17-18 overs and score around 70-80 runs in every match he plays,” Lad further said.
Lad also spoke in detail about his last conversation with Rohit that took place before the World Cup. He revealed that he told Rohit to stay inside the crease and play “sensibly,” but the batter is instead throwing his wicket.
"The last time I spoke to him was before he went to the World Cup. We did not talk much about the technique as he has played so much cricket for India.
“I advised him to stay on the crease and play sensibly. I always want him to lead from the front and contribute maximum towards India's victory. But he is not getting the time as he is throwing his wickets away,” said Lad.
“Sometimes he gets out cheaply playing rash shots and he has to face criticism for that.”