“Will be tough for Rohit to continue as captain”: Mohammad Hafeez reckons Rohit Sharma’s body language and personal form wouldn’t sustain him as India’s T20I captain

Mohammad Hafeez reckons Rohit Sharma’s demeanor and ordinary batting form might become an obstacle on him continuing as India’s T20I captain.

Former Pakistan batter Mohammad Hafeez has opined that Rohit Sharma is perhaps feeling the heat of the additional responsibility as team India captain, which has also led to his dip in form, particularly in the T20 format.

The Rohit Sharma-led side prevailed against Hong Kong by 40 runs, in their second match of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, and have resultantly qualified for the ‘Super 4’ stage of the tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav’s scintillating half-century knock was the difference between the two sides, as India’s young pacers Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh leaked runs at an Economy rate of 13.2 and 11 runs per Over respectively, to let Hong Kong register the highest score by an associate nation against India in the T20 format.

Mohammad Hafeez reckons Rohit Sharma’s unusual body language might hamper his sustenance as captain

Perhaps unimpressed and disappointed by the effort put in by his two pacers in particular, Rohit, despite his team’s 40-run victory, shook the opposition team’s hands without wearing the winning smile, and also didn’t look enthusiastic enough with the team progressing towards the next stage of the championship.

Mohammad Hafeez, however, seemed to have noticed some more intangibles with the way Rohit walked off the field post the victory, suggestive of a captaincy pressure, which has also led to a dip in batting form since assuming the role a few months ago.

Hafeez also opined that the 35-year-old even looked nervous, weak, and confused when he walked on to the field for the Toss, and that his overall body language might not let him continue as India’s T20 captain for long.

“Look at Rohit Sharma’s expressions. This, after he has won the match by 40 runs. Earlier, as well, when he came out for the Toss, I felt he looked weak, nervous, and confused. He was not the same which I have observed of him all these years. I think his captaincy pressure is creating lots of problems for him. His personal form has also declined, if we look at his numbers in this year’s IPL and the T20I matches post that.

Also, the pressure of leading India. He has been saying a lot of things about brand of cricket, we will play positively… this and that, but it’s not reflecting in the way the team is playing. It’s not reflecting by his own body language. It’s easy to talk but to do it and show it on the field is difficult. I therefore think, that it will be difficult for him to sustain as captain for long,” exclaimed Hafeez during an interaction with PTV Sports.

My opinion on @ImRo45 captaincy in Asia cup #GameOnHai pic.twitter.com/dBzVX2Pgfu

— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) September 1, 2022

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