IND vs ENG 2022: 3 reasons why Rohit Sharma's comeback in T20Is is a plus for India
After skipping India's last two T20I series, captain Rohit Sharma will make his return to the team for the upcoming three-match series against England. Southampton will host the first T20I on Thursday followed by games on Saturday and Sunday.
Rohit has not played international cricket since March. His last game was against Sri Lanka before IPL 2022. The Indian skipper had a forgettable IPL season with the Mumbai Indians and will be keen to play some big knocks for India heading into the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia later this year.
India have won each of their last four completed T20I matches, but here are three reasons why Rohit Sharma's return will be a massive plus for the team.
#1 Rohit Sharma's excellent numbers as a T20I opener
In Rohit Sharma's absence, Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the innings for India with Ishan Kishan. While Gaikwad scored a fifty against South Africa, he could not impress much in the other T20Is of that five-match series. He got injured in the first T20I against Ireland and did not bat even once during the series.
India's opening pair could not build big partnerships consistently in their matches against Ireland and South Africa. Sharma's return will prove to be a big boost at the top of the order.
For the record, Sharma has opened the batting for India in 90 T20I matches, scoring 2,832 runs at a strike rate of 142.10. He scored four hundreds and 21 fifties while opening the innings.
In his last T20I against England, Sharma blasted a 34-ball 64 to help India win the game.
#2 Helps India finalize their combinations for T20 World Cup
The ICC T20 World Cup is only three and a half months away. India will look to finalize their combinations for the mega event in the bilateral matches before the mega event.
Last year, when India took the field against Pakistan in the first match of the T20 World Cup, there were some players in the squad who had not played with each other before.
Captain Rohit will be keen to ensure that the same is not repeated this year. He will try to finalize his combinations and retain them on the road to the T20 World Cup.
#3 Gives Rohit Sharma an opportunity to regain his form in T20 cricket
Rohit lost his wicket in single digits in his previous two T20I innings. He failed to score a single fifty in IPL 2022 and his batting average was less than 20.
Sharma will be one of the most important members of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. He needs to be in top form heading into the marquee event.
A series against a top-quality team like England will be good preparation for Rohit, and it will be a big positive for the Men in Blue if he gets his confidence back.