CricketFormer cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes that the Indian captain Virat Kohli remains ahead of Rohit Sharma in ODIs because the Delhi batsman is someone who never settles for 30s or 40s — he always converts his starts into big scores. Kaif’s statement comes ahead of the second ODI against New Zealand, scheduled to be played on Wednesday (January 14) in Rajkot.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, ‘Baaz with Siddharth Kannan’ on Tuesday, January 13, Mohammad Kaif said the version of Rohit that came into play at the MCG is pretty much in Kohli mode and not ready to settle for low scores by just staying out there. Kaif said:
“Why is Virat Kohli’s name so big in ODIs? Because he does not settle for 30s or 40s. That is the difference between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma if you look at their entire careers. Virat Kohli converts starts. A score of 30 or 40 means he will go on to stay till the end, win the match, and if he gets into form, he becomes consistent.”
“That is why, in ODI cricket, Virat Kohli has always been ahead of Rohit Sharma. He scores runs consistently and plays big innings regularly. Rohit Sharma now wants to move onto that same path because he probably has only two or three years left. He will not be satisfied with 30s or 40s anymore. You can see it when he got out in the first ODI; he was shaking his head, clearly thinking he played a wrong shot.”
Mohammad Kaif
Kohli was named Player of the Match in the first ODI against New Zealand after scoring 93 runs, while Rohit was removed for 26 while attempting a huge shot.
Mohammad Kaif explains how Rohit Sharma’s batting mindset has evolved
During the same discussion, Mohammad Kaif mentioned that since Rohit Sharma was removed as captain, his approach has altered, with the opener now pacing his innings like Virat Kohli and not continuously chasing boundaries. Kaif said:
“I have noticed that now he is pacing his innings. He starts quickly, then slows down, playing singles and doubles and adding the occasional boundary, much like Virat Kohli. He is no longer constantly chasing boundaries. Instead, he is planning to pace his innings and play long knocks. We have seen this change recently after he was removed from captaincy.”
Mohammad Kaif
“His intent has shifted. He wants to play big innings and remain unbeaten. You might remember the century he scored in Australia, where he stayed not out. That seems to be Rohit’s plan for the upcoming matches.”
Mohammad Kaif
Rohit has played 280 ODIs, Score 11,542 runs at an average of 49.11 and a strike rate of 92.84, with 61 fifties and 33 centuries.
