IND vs AFG 2024: Rohit Sharma still has intensity and aggression to lead India to World Cup triumph, says Saba Karim

Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Saba Karim reckons Rohit Sharma still has the intensity and aggression to lead India to a World Cup triumph. Rohit recently led the team to the final of the ODI World Cup but the team could not cross the final hurdle against Australia.

Meanwhile, Rohit was added to the T20I squad as he made a return to the shortest format after a long gap of 14 months. Thus, Rohit will most likely lead India in the T20 World Cup 2024. In Rohit Sharma’s absence, Hardik Pandya was leading in the T20I version.

Rohit has all the leadership experience under his belt and he took Mumbai Indians to five titles as a captain in the Indian Premier League.

Rohit scored 597 runs in 11 matches of the World Cup 2023 at an average of 54.27 and a blistering strike rate of 125.95. The talisman scored three fifties and one century in the ODI showpiece and he will look to carry the same form in the T20I format.

Speaking to JioCinema, Saba Karim said, “This is a wonderful phase for Rohit Sharma. The way he led India in the ODI World Cup goes to shows his desire to win the World Cup for India. Rohit is in prime form. His fitness also has helped him grow in confidence. That is the reason why the Indian selectors have again opted for Rohit to lead the side, to bring that kind of stability to the side as a captain and as a batter.”

“The way he walked the talk in the recently-concluded one-day matches. It just goes to show he still has the intensity and the aggression to lead India to that much-awaited World Cup triumph,” said Karim.

Meanwhile, Rohit had played aggressively in the ODI World Cup and had given brisk starts to his team in the Powerplay overs. Karim reckons Rohit’s aggressive Powerplay batting played a key role in Indian skipper’s return to T20I cricket.

“That (Powerplay approach in ODIs) is one of the main reasons that we are seeing Rohit Sharma once again as a player and as a captain in T20Is. The intensity with which he batted in one-day cricket, the aggression that he showed. He paved a path for batting in white-ball cricket. He did and showed it to the rest of the team, lead from the front.”

“Rohit has a lot of experience. He has been playing T20 cricket for years. People do find it hard from switching from red-ball to white-ball cricket. But, I think Rohit, with his experience, he will be able to do that very easily,” said Karim.

India will take on Afghanistan in the first T20I at Mohali on Thursday.