Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar linked Rohit Sharma’s poor form in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to the team’s win in the T20 World Cup 2024 last year. He feels the effect of India’s title drag is still visible, affecting Rohit’s batting.
Rohit Sharma had a torrid time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with just 31 runs in three Tests at an average of 6.20. He came into the series after a disappointing Test season at home in which he scored just 133 runs in 10 innings at an average of 13.30.
His poor return affected India’s performance as the team needed him to score and show experience in tough Australian conditions. As a result, there are speculations about his retirement from the longest format of the game.
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Rohit Sharma’s poor form for India to win T20 World Cup 2024 – Sanjay Bangar
Speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Follow the Blues’, Sanjay Bangar spoke about Rohit Sharma’s worrying form. Bangar argued that captaincy and team form tend to dip when they win a major title.
He cited the example of India’s World Cup title win in 1983 where India were beaten by West Indies in the series immediately after their win over the same opponent. He also cited the example of 2011 when the team went through a difficult period after their legendary victory.
“This is what happens when any captain wins the World Cup, be it T20 or ODI. I will remind you of the 1983 World Cup, Kapil Dev’s team beat West Indies and then West Indies came to India and defeated them” , Bangar observed.
“We won the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the weather went very badly from 2011 to 2013. The slight lingering effect of that earlier moment probably remains, and things like that happen once or twice a decade. So is that a slight effect of that ?” he claimed.
Sanjay Bangar wants Rohit Sharma to return to domestic cricket
There has been a lot of talk about Rohit Sharma returning to domestic cricket to regain his red ball form. Sanjay Bangar advised Rohit Sharma to follow the path of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara and play domestic cricket.
“There was a lot of discussion about playing domestic cricket. (Cheteshwar) Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were also dropped and their stature is neither smaller nor bigger than Rohit Sharma. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are still sweating on the dusty ground today. They will have to show that kind of hunger “, Bangar said.
Both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been regulars in domestic cricket since being dropped from the national teams. Pujara also played in domestic cricket. Rahane was in great form recently in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Rohit Sharma’s figures since India won the T20 World Cup 2024
Since India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024, Rohit Sharma has had a continuous period of under-run in Test cricket. Since winning the title, Rohit has scored just 164 runs in eight Tests at an average of 10.93.
He has already retired from the T20I format after India’s victory in the T20 World Cup but is still an active player in Tests and ODIs. Rohit has also played three ODIs since India’s T20 World Cup victory in which he scored 157 runs at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 141.44.
