IPL 2023: Should Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma take a break ahead of WTC Final? Daren Ganga responds
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has just one half-century and 191 runs to show in 11 matches of IPL 2023, which has raised concerns on his form ahead of the summit clash of the WTC against Australia at The Oval from June 7-11.
FollowAhead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, former West Indies captain Daren Ganga opines that India and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, enduring a poor run this season, will benefit from taking a break before the mega clash against Australia.
Rohit has just one half-century and 191 runs to show in 11 matches of this IPL, which has raised concerns on his form ahead of the summit clash of the WTC against Australia at The Oval from June 7-11.
"There is no doubt that he is a quality player. We have seen stories in the past of great players who have gone through periods of slump, more recently Virat Kohli was in a lull with his batting and he had to go through a lean period before he regained that form and that desire to score runs," said Ganga.
"Rohit is going through a similar situation where he is playing a lot of cricket, sometimes as a player you can get jaded, (with) the responsibilities as captain, as a player."
Ganga said stepping aside for a bit would help Rohit freshen up for the challenges ahead. Apart from the WTC final, Rohit will also captain India in the World Cup later this year to be held in India.
"You have heard Sunil Gavaskar recommend that he take a break, freshen his mind before the World Test Championship - that might be a good option for him. I felt that in a couple of matches that he played as an impact player with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side that can also be a common ground for him to get a little more time for himself so that he can be fresh when it comes to his batting in the WTC final," Ganga said.
Talking about the WTC final, Ganga said the use of spinners and getting rid of key Australian batters such as Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will be important for India.
"Australia's bad days in cricket are not very far from their very good days. (Otherwise) they are a very consistent side. But India has to be smart in terms of how they penetrate. Again, use of spinners, also making sure they can prise their batting and can get into a Steve Smith and a (Marnus) Labuschagne as early as possible. Those are the key points for India winning the WTC. And of course, Rohit Sharma getting into form and Virat Kohli firing is important."
"I will give India the nod, they have a score to settle. They have been in this situation before. There is a deep desire (in India) to conquer this WTC final, (which) they could not do the last time," Ganga said.
(With inputs from PTI)
