Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma’s recent performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have raised concerns among fans and analysts alike. Ever since the beginning of 2022, he’s been a man desperately fighting for his batting average and overall consistency. This downward trend is most pronounced against left-arm seamers and various other ball types. This news has spurred rumors and speculation as to whether the career that had seemed unstoppable is, in fact, on an irreversible downward trajectory.
Between 2014 and 2021, Sharma was sacked seven times by left-arm seamers while averaging 28.85 against them. Since the start of 2022, that average has crashed down to just 22.37, with eight dismissals. In the previous period, he only saw left-arm seamers 7% of the time. This points to a growing vulnerability over the past several seasons.
When it comes to the IPL, Sharma’s statistics speak volumes. His historical averages are 29.30. Declaring his new return to opening strengthening the side, this season, his average at the top of the order has suddenly plummeted to 22.89. His performance as an opener in the IPL has failed terribly. Since the start of 2022 he’s averaging a paltry 27.74, with just two scores of above 30 runs as an opener—in 2016 and 2024—during that span when he’s batted in five or more innings.
Since the beginning of this year’s IPL season, Rohit had a fight but simply wasn’t finding his runs. And he’s been bowled six times by inswingers with a deeply troubling average of 15.5. On top of that, he’s flopped on outswingers seven times, with an average distance of 19. A worrying trend has emerged: he has survived past the powerplay only 12 times in his last 36 innings. So far this year, he hasn’t batted outside the powerplay.
His recent advanced metrics illustrate just how hot he is right now. He has managed an average of only 13.66 across six matches in 2023. He has battled through various hardships, but his T20I performance never wavered. This included a successful T20 World Cup 2024 win, culminating in recently winning the Champions Trophy.
Tymal Mills, a teammate and fellow commentator at the cricket recently, was bullish about Sharma’s prospects even though he’s been in a rut lately.
“He’s one of the most experienced players in the world, he has been there and done it at the highest level for a very long time,” – Tymal Mills
The importance of fitness has been mentioned as another key opportunity for improvement. Soham Sarkhel noted that Sharma’s decline could be a result of his health.
“He will stick to his processes, he will hit a lot of balls. You’ll always see him going to training early and getting his extra work done before everyone else arrives.” – Tymal Mills
Mills, though, despite those struggles, is hopeful that Sharma is poised to rebound.
“He’s still got it. I just feel that he’s maybe lost a bit of hand-eye coordination and that can happen, but your career can really go down quite quickly. He’s got to work on a lot of things, especially his fitness.” – Soham Sarkhel
Sharma’s evolving approach to batting could be behind his struggles. In his early days, he was much more balanced, with 51% of his runs scored on the leg side. That number has now ticked up to 59%. This surge of support indicates a significant change rightward in the political landscape that’s not going to be playing out in his favor.
“When you have played as long as Rohit has, you’re going to go through bad spells. Players of his class always re-emerge.” – Tymal Mills
Fans and analysts are already dissecting Sharma’s first few games. A lot of people think he is worth supporting as he enters this difficult stage of his career.
As fans and analysts continue to scrutinize Sharma’s performance, many agree that he has earned the right to receive support during this challenging phase of his career.
“He has earned the right to get a long leash because he’s had such a successful career and been a nightmare for bowlers.” – Tymal Mills
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