After a stellar 2017, Rohit Sharma was expected to shine in the series against South Africa, as the Mumbai batsman had earned himself a reputation of being one of the best batsmen in world cricket.
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But this year has started off on a poor note for Rohit, as he has so far struggled in South Africa.
He had a terrible test series, as the batsman struggled against the seam and pace of the Proteas bowlers. Rohit looked completely out of depth against the seaming ball, as he was surprisingly poor in the first two test matches, before he was dropped for the final test in Johannesburg.
Everyone thought Rohit would return to his best in the limited overs format, as a return to his preferred format was expected to bring the best out of him.
But that did not happen, as Rohit continued to struggle in the rainbow nation. His dismal displays have caused concern among the team management, as people are not sure why Rohit is suddenly looking like an inept batsman.
South African legend, Kepler Wessels, has made some scathing remarks on Rohit Sharma, as he does not believe that the opener will ever be successful in South Africa due to his inefficiencies with the bat.
“He will always struggle to score runs in SA because of his footwork. He plants his front foot across to the off-side and in SA, the pitches always seam and bounce a bit. This is the reason that he averages around 10 there. He’ll always struggle there because of his technique.”
“It doesn’t affect him in India and even in Australia, because the ball doesn’t seam there, it just bounces, but when you have seam and bounce, with that technique, he’s got a problem,” he concluded.
Kagiso Rabada has dismissed Rohit on several occasions this season, as the talented pacer has made a habit of getting rid of the Mumbai batsman.
It has been an immensely frustrating time for Rohit Sharma, as he must be wondering what has gone wrong for him this year. After a sensational 2017, Rohit was expected to establish himself as one of the premier batsmen in world cricket.
But his struggles in South Africa have clearly dented his confidence, as Rohit needs to really get his act together in the last two ODIs.
