India suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand. With this loss, unless there is a miracle, India is likely to be knocked out of the T20 World Cup. One of the surprising decisions by the management for the game against New Zealand was to have Rohit Sharma at No.3 and not at his preferred opening slot. In this article, we take a look at the possible reasons why Rohit Sharma did not open against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup game.
India is almost out of T20 WC
India had batting collapses in both games of the T20 World Cup. The bowling also looked lacklustre and just could not trouble the opposition. In the process, the men in blue conceded two heavy defeats and are now staring at an early elimination from the event.
Rohit Sharma did not open against New Zealand
India brought Ishan Kishan for the game against the Kiwis. Everyone predicted that he would open with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul will play at No.4. However, KL and Ishan opened while Rohit batted at No.3. It was surprising considering Rohit has hardly batted out of the opening slot in recent years. We take a look at the possible reasons for the same.
Rohit Sharma has a weakness against left-arm pacers, and it was visible against Pakistan. He was caught LBW by Shaheen Afridi in the first over. To avoid the repetition of the same against Trent Boult, the management might have asked Rohit to come down.
The Kiwis have two spinners, Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, both of whom take the ball away from the right-hander. Ishan Kishan is a better bet than Rohit to take on them. Interestingly, as soon as Ishan got out, Kane Williamson introduced Santner. Hence, to keep the left-right combination and to tackle the spinners, Rohit may not have opened.
After the game against Pakistan, powerplay batting was one area that was identified to have an issue. India needed a quick start, and hence, the management could have opted for KL and Ishan, who can do that. Rohit usually takes time to get going, and hence, he might have been asked to play at No.3.
