"His level has gone down slightly" - Irfan Pathan says Rohit Sharma needs to regain his form

Irfan Pathan feels Rohit Sharma's level of batsmanship has gone down slightly from its lofty standards and he wants the Indian skipper to regain his touch quickly.

Rohit will lead the 17-member Indian side in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, with the first game to be played in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10. The Indian skipper missed the three T20Is against the same opponents and the preceding Test series against Bangladesh due to a thumb injury he sustained in the second ODI against the Tigers.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked whether Rohit Sharma would love to have some runs in his kitty at the start of the year apart from building his team for the World Cup, to which he responded:

"Absolutely, his level has gone down slightly, based on his standards. He is an amazing batter. The five centuries he scored in the 2019 World Cup, he batted amazingly well. He will have to probably remember that and regain his form."

The former Indian all-rounder believes the hosts will be a formidable unit at the World Cup if their skipper is at the top of his game, observing:

"When his form comes back, this Indian team which is getting ready for the 50-over World Cup, you will not get a more solid team than India, especially in these conditions where the World Cup is going to be played."

Rohit was the highest run-getter in the 2019 World Cup. He amassed 648 runs, including five centuries, in nine games at an outstanding average of 81.00 and an equally impressive strike rate of 98.33.

"He will have to regularly pay attention to his fitness and form" - Irfan Pathan on Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma hasn't scored an ODI century in the last two years.

Pathan wants Rohit Sharma to pay attention to his fitness apart from form, saying:

"He will come back refreshed. Hopefully, he will come with preparation. He will have to regularly pay attention to his fitness and form and he will do that. He is already a great player, there is no doubt about that."

This is my favourite innings of Rohit Sharma of 2022!
Greatest Odi inning of 2022🐐!
#RohitSharma𓃵 ! @ImRo45 https://t.co/T7wz2jjPcv

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels working on those two areas will also help Rohit's cause as a skipper, elaborating:

"There is one thing about the captaincy, he is a fantastic captain of this team. He will manage this team very well and extremely easily but two things - he needs to give a lot of attention to his form and fitness."

Rohit Sharma in last 7 innings against Sri Lanka in ODIs:

•Innings - 7
•Runs - 564
•Average - 112.8
•Hundreds - 4
•Highest score - 208*

Rohit has scored 339 runs at a slightly below-par average of 37.67 in the 11 ODIs he has played in the last two years. He has a top score of an unbeaten 76 in this period and has only thrice breached the 50-run mark.