Rohit Sharma told not to get ‘desperate’ in rough patch by old ally: 'Sometimes practicing too much isn't beneficial'

Sanjay Bangar, who has previously worked with Rohit Sharma, suggested that the Indian skipper should not focus much on practice in this rough patch

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar shared his assessment of Rohit Sharma's recent rough patch and also provided his advice for him to get the rhythm back. Rohit endured a tough red-ball season where he struggled miserably against New Zealand and Australia in back-to-back series. He also returned to first class cricket in search of some runs but that also didn't work out for him as he registered low scores in both innings - 3 and 28 respectively.

Nagpur: India's captain Rohit Sharma returns to pavilion after being dismissed by England's Saqib Mahmood during the first One Day International (ODI) cricket match. (PTI)

Rohit’s struggles continued as he perished for just two in the first ODI, failing to shake off the disastrous run in the Test series against Australia. His dismissal -- a mistimed lofted shot off Saqib Mahmood's delivery that ballooned to midwicket -- reflected his desperation for runs. Rohit has scored just 166 runs in his last 16 innings across formats.

Bangar, who has worked with Rohit previously during his stint as Team India's batting coach, suggested that the Indian skipper should not focus much on practice in this rough patch. He advised the Indian skipper to start spending some alone time and assess videos of the time when he enjoyed big success.

"A phase has come in his career where he hasn't scored runs. Sometimes practicing too much isn't beneficial. He can probably spend a little time alone and watch the phase where he enjoyed a lot of success. Watch some videos and figure out what his habits and routines were," Bangar told Star Sports.

'Rohit Sharma shouldn't be too desperate in his thinking'

The former batting coach asserted that it's not the time for Rohit to get desperate in his thinking and needs to remind himself what worked for him in the past.

"Sometimes all those things prove hugely beneficial if you have to regain your rhythm. You have to remind yourself what works for you. He shouldn't be too desperate in his thinking," he added.