"There is no need to worry at all in white-ball cricket" - Irfan Pathan on Rohit Sharma's long wait for a century

Irfan Pathan feels Rohit Sharma's lack of big runs is not a concern in white-ball cricket even though the Indian skipper might not have scored a century for a considerable while.

Rohit was dismissed for 34 in the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18. The Men in Blue posted a mammoth 349/8 on the back of Shubman Gill's double century and eventually won the match by 12 runs.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked about Rohit Sharma's failure to convert his start and his continued wait for a century, to which he responded:

"He played very good shots. He hit over cover on the up with a high elbow and played the pull shots - flawless batting, but when he gets out you feel that he played a false shot. I will say again that the way Rohit Sharma is batting, there is no need to worry at all in white-ball cricket, especially in ODI cricket."

However, the former Indian all-rounder highlighted a technical issue that could adversely impact the opener in Test cricket, elaborating:

"He just has to pay a little attention to his front leg when he goes to red-ball cricket. I am sure the team management will also have their eyes on that, it is going a little too across. So it is happening either because of that or the mindset."

India will face Australia in a four-match Test series after the white-ball matches against New Zealand. A few cricket experts have urged the Test players to play a Ranji Trophy game ahead of the crucial series.

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"It is all a mindset game" - Irfan Pathan on Rohit Sharma's lack of big runs

Rohit Sharma has not scored an ODI hundred since January 2020. [P/C: BCCI]

Pathan believes Rohit should be able to overcome the small technical issues that might have crept into his game, saying:

"It is all a mindset game here because if such a big player has slight issues with his technique, he makes the adjustment and he has the ability. That is why Rohit Sharma has reached close to 10000 runs. We are talking about such a big legend, there is no need to worry."

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the Indian skipper played a couple of fluent knocks in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka, observing:

"I found him batting at his best in the first match (against Sri Lanka) when he scored 83 runs. In the last match also, where he scored 42 runs, he looked very good. He was himself extremely disappointed when he got out."

Pathan concluded by opining that Rohit would not be thinking about a century at all. He added that he would only be concerned about how to take the team forward and that his eyes would be on the World Cup later this year.

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