"He is allowing people to set a trap" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma's dismissal
Aakash Chopra has opined that Rohit Sharma should play the pull shot judiciously and not fall into the trap laid out for him.
Rohit Sharma pulled Mark Wood straight down Moeen Ali's throat at deep square leg on the fourth day of the Lord's Test. He had pulled the same bowler into the stands a couple of deliveries earlier.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rohit Sharma falling prey to the bouncer trap set by the opposition is a slight concern. He said:
"He [Rohit] scores a lot of runs and will keep doing that but this is one thing where he is allowing people to set a trap and if you fall into a trap, then there is a problem because he has been dismissed three times in this series and twice on the bouncer."
The former Indian opener highlighted that Rohit Sharma refraining from playing the extravagant drives has been a feature of his batting at the top of the order. Chopra wants the latter to exercise restraint while playing the pull shot:
"Rohit Sharma, the Test opener, what is defining him is that he is not throwing the bat and letting the ball come to him. He is stopping himself, that constraint is actually defining him. If he leaves the pull, it will be a defining factor."
Even in the first innings of the Nottingham Test, Rohit Sharma fell a victim to the bouncer. The Indian opener hooked Ollie Robinson to Sam Curran at fine leg after having stitched together a 97-run opening partnership with KL Rahul.
"Rohit Sharma will have to pick and choose" - Aakash Chopra
While acknowledging that the pull shot fetches him a lot of runs, Aakash Chopra advised Rohit Sharma to be selective while playing the stroke. He observed:
"It is an instinctive shot of yours, you definitely score runs with that, you do very well but you will have to pick and choose. In Test match cricket, especially in overseas conditions, big grounds, slightly quicker pitches."
The cricketer-turned-commentator signed off by stating that not playing a particular shot can be more fruitful at times. Chopra explained:
"There was a trap set up this time. After the six, three or four players were behind. Fine leg, square leg, mid-wicket. It is almost impossible to keep hitting your way out of a bouncer trap. What you don't do is sometimes more important than what you do."
Joe Root had moved a fielder from the off side into the leg-side trap after Rohit Sharma smacked Mark Wood for a six. The move paid dividends as Sharma failed to time his next attempted pull and found Moeen Ali in the deep.