-Subhayan Chakraborty in Mumbai
Rohit Sharma will be in focus when Mumbai Indians face Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. This will be the first home game for the five-time IPL winners in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
While Rohit has had a poor start to the campaign, scoring a duck and eight against Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans respectively, his childhood coach Dinesh Lad reckons the ‘Hitman’ will be back among runs soon, adding that the IPL form shouldn’t be a benchmark for selection in Test cricket.
In the bigger picture, Rohit’s batting form is under the scanner considering India will play a crucial five-Test series in England just after the IPL. Notably, Rohit had stood himself down in the final Test against Australia in Sydney after a poor run of form with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which India lost 1-3. With many experts and fans on social media saying that the India captain shouldn’t be a part of the Test side against England, Lad feels his past record in England, and leadership qualities after he captained India to a Champions Trophy triumph should be enough to merit a place in the squad.
“Rohit is a different player,” Lad told RevSportz. “He is a technically sound player with a bundle of experience. As his childhood coach, I feel he should go to England. He did really well in the last England tour, scoring a century there. In my opinion, he should go, bat well and lead the team well.”
Rohit had a decent IPL 2024, scoring 417 runs at a strike-rate of 150 for Mumbai Indians but his start to the latest edition of the tournament has been underwhelming. Questions have been raised about his ability to play long innings with many pointing towards his slowing reflexes and as well as technique. However, Lad differs, as he said that the IPL nowadays is all about coming out and smashing quick runs.
“In the IPL, you go to smash every ball in today’s time. You see so many players go and whack the ball around, but then you suddenly see them not scoring big runs in the next games. I feel the IPL is a game of luck, especially for the batters. You don’t defend there. If you connect, you go big, and that is not possible every day,” Lad said.
He added: “However, it is just the start of the IPL. Mumbai Indians played both their matches in away conditions. You know, in the IPL, players don’t get to train in those away wickets much so that is one challenging aspect for everyone. I have full confidence that we will see Rohit score runs in the coming matches.”
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Lad also spoke about how it would be wrong to juxtapose the IPL vis-a-vis the long-form. “Definitely it is unfair (judging Test players on their IPL form),” he said. “You should not form an opinion on such a big player for Test matches based on his IPL form. Do you see players defend in the IPL? Do you see them using their technique much? It is all about hitting and scoring quick runs for your team. You see a new kid come everyday and smash the ball. That is good for them but you can’t make those kids play Test cricket on the basis of a few quick knocks here or there. In my opinion, one should not be picked in Test cricket based on the IPL. You have the T20 format to pick those players, not Test cricket.”
The past 12-odd months have been nothing short of a dream for Rohit, the captain. He led India to the Champions Trophy victory in Dubai after helping the team lift the T20 World Cup in 2024. For Lad, who converted a young Rohit to a batter from a bowler, the emotions of witnessing his student etching his name in the history books by helping India win two ICC trophies are overwhelming. He also added that Rohit’s ultimate dream is to lift the ODI World Cup as he opined that the veteran should continue till the 2027 ODI World Cup and help India win the coveted title to fulfil his childhood dream.
“Extremely proud feeling,” remarked Lad. “He (Rohit) came when he was a 12-year-old boy. He came in as a bowler. From there to turn him into a batter and now see him lead the Indian team and help them win the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy has been a great feeling. His ultimate dream is to lift the ODI World Cup, which we missed out in 2023. I feel he should play till the (next) ODI World Cup and win it to fulfil his and the country’s dream.”