What If Rohit Sharma Fails In Asia Cup? Would BCCI Take Desperate Measures for World Cup?
Rohit had a fantastic campaign in last ODI World Cup (Twitter)
India captain Rohit Sharma is caught between a rock and a hard place. With consistently languishing form and persistent fitness issues, Rohit is sitting on a powder keg. He had scored an ODI hundred which was followed by a Test ton in 2023. But to say Rohit Sharma of old is back, one would be lying to himself.
With an all-important ICC Cricket World Cup just around the corner and as the Asia Cup will build-up the event in invoking the tournament-vibes for India, a key second half of 2023 awaits Rohit and his men.
Rohit will put his foot in a tournament, the Asia Cup, where India will again start as favourites. Just as they did the last time but failed to even make the final and one can say, he deservedly got the flak for it. Interestingly, that tournament was followed by a World Cup, even if it was in the T20 format, in 2022.
While India could not win either of the two competitions in their previous attempt, Rohit would now want to start the dress rehearsal of the world event on the right note by bringing the Asia Cup home.
However, a lot of this would depend on Rohit - The Batter - who in any way, shape, or form has not been 'The Hitman' he was known to be. And if his dry rut with the bat continues in the upcoming Asia Cup, let us understand what implications it can have on both Rohit and India.
Captaincy baggage
Results have not gone as Rohit would have liked recently (Source: Twitter)
Though from the outside it cannot be fair to judge if a skipper is deriving a pressure out of captaincy or not. Still, in the position that Rohit is in, one can go a step further and assuredly say that his poor batting touch can have a toll on his leadership.
It is all a conjecture but captain Rohit could come out well if the batting side of things flip in his corner.
Performance pressure
To go in a World Cup with form not by your side, this either creates a hero or a villain story - nothing in between. Rohit could get to experience that.
The Men in Blue will only play an ODI series versus Australia after the Asia Cup and to get his form back, at least in the one-dayers, Rohit does not have many games left to successfully sail through this dangerous wave.
Impact on India's chances
Rohit Sharma has 30 ODI centuries to his name (Twitter)
While India were only lacking behind in the T20Is, the ODI format too is witnessing a paradigm shift.
Rohit will likely open for India. Providing good starts to his team will be on his checklist but if that does not happen, it will dent India's chances to a great extent.
 "Aayush Mahajan")
