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Cricket PlayersT20 World Cup: Stats show Rohit Sharma can be India's biggest weapon against NZ but he has to get past Trent Boult
Rohit Sharma is India's highest run-scorer against New Zealand in T20Is.
Rohit Sharma’s dismissal against Pakistan re-evoked the struggles of the Indian opener against left-arm pace – something he had seemingly tackled over the past few years with little tweaks in stance and technique. Doubtlessly, Shaheen Afridi’s delivery to Rohit was a belter; but the stark similarities in the dismissal grew concerns among the cricket fraternity – so much so that Indian captain Virat Kohli was asked in the press conference after the Pakistan game if Rohit could’ve been dropped for a fairly inexperienced Ishan Kishan.
The question was subject to ridicule by Kohli, and it is no surprise. Rohit has been one of India’s most consistent white-ball batters for many years, and his record in T20Is makes him the first name on the team sheet.
And against India’s next opponent in the 2021 T20 World Cup – New Zealand – Rohit’s stats have been sublime.
Impressive record against NZ
Rohit Sharma is the third-highest scorer (after Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez and England’s Eoin Morgan) against New Zealand in T20Is, scoring 338 runs in 13 innings at an impressive strike rate of 137.95. Moreover, he has scored the most 50+ scores against the side.
Rohit scored half-centuries in his last two matches against New Zealand, and he was the captain of the team when an unfortunate injury halted his innings at 60 in the final T20I of the series. He had scored at a strike rate of over 145 in the innings.
Against Ish Sodhi, who took two wickets against Pakistan in the Kiwis' opening game, Rohit has scored at a decent strike rate of nearly 139 across five innings.
However, before taking on Sodhi, the Indian opener will have to deal with the might of Trent Boult.
Rohit and the left-arm pace
The Indian opener’s struggles against left-arm pace bowling are well documented. Against Trent Boult, Rohit Sharma’s record isn’t exactly inspiring.
In seven innings, Rohit has scored only 29 runs against Boult while being dismissed on three occasions.
His dismissal against Shaheen was the 14th time when he was picked out by a left-arm pacer in T20Is. Moreover, Rohit's average against left-armers is justifiably the lowest among all the bowlers.
The Indian opener’s struggles against left-arm fast bowlers had seemingly come to an end after his dominant performances in overseas tours across Australia and England, but a first-ball duck against Shaheen’s menacing swing means Rohit would need to approach a cautionary approach against Boult.
