T20 World Cup 2022: "There will be two things required from Rohit Sharma" - Irfan Pathan on India's semi-final clash vs England
Irfan Pathan has spoken about a couple of expectations from Rohit Sharma in India's T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final clash against England.
The two sides will lock horns in the second last-four clash at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, November 10. The winner of the game will face Pakistan in the title decider in Melbourne on Sunday, November 13.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan pointed out that Rohit needs to excel both as a batter and skipper in the crunch game. He elaborated:
"There will be two things required from Rohit Sharma tomorrow, Rohit Sharma the batter and Rohit Sharma the calm captain. I have always been a fan of his captaincy, the way he remains calm under pressure and manages the game. You need a calm captain in the knockout stage so that he can take his decisions properly."
The former Indian all-rounder feels the Men in Blue should field Yuzvendra Chahal in their playing XI. He observed:
"I still want one or two things where he can be even better, especially bring Chahal into the team. If that improves, I feel this team will become even stronger, but you will need these two things from Rohit, especially batting. A big player definitely stands up on the big stage."
Rohit Sharma analyzing the dimensions of the Adelaide Oval ahead of the Semi-final. https://t.co/a61MC2QZL6
Chahal is yet to play a game in the tournament. The Indian think tank has preferred to play Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of him to add a little more depth to the batting.
"We have the powerhouse down the order" - Irfan Pathan wants Rohit Sharma to give himself time
Pathan was further asked whether Rohit should give himself time in the middle. He replied in the affirmative, explaining:
"He should definitely do that. If he gives himself time and Rohit's bat fires, we will get a good start, it will be very good for India because we have the powerhouse down the order, whether it is Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant, if he plays."
The cricketer-turned-commentator reckons Chris Woakes is the biggest threat to Rohit in England's bowling lineup. He said:
"In the opposition bowling unit, I feel the biggest danger is Chris Woakes. If he manages him, he will like Mark Wood's pace as well and will also like batting against the other bowlers."
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Rohit has aggregated 89 runs in five innings at an underwhelming strike rate of 109.87 in the tournament so far. He also suffered a blow to his forearm during the net sessions ahead of the England game but seems to have recovered from the injury.