‘Ab India me bhi khelna mushkil lagne laga inko’ – Fans react to Rohit Sharma’s ‘batting in India now is more difficult than batting overseas in Tests’ remark 

With just one sleep left to kick off the 2023 Asia Cup, Team India is busy with its preparation. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in Kandy on September 2. Rohit Sharma and Co. will aim for a strong outing in the continental event as it will serve as the final stage of preparation for the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled to begin in India on October 5.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Asia Cup 2023 opener between Pakistan and Nepal, the Indian captain said batting in India now is more difficult than batting overseas. His remarks were made while talking about his recent batting style and declining average in ODI cricket. However, Rohit has been India’s best top-order batter in Tests since 2021, averaging over 46.50 with four centuries.

“Look at my recent Test innings in India. I can tell you batting in India is much more difficult now than batting overseas, especially in the last 2-3 years. The pitches that we have played on it is more challenging than overseas. That’s why we haven’t spoken about runs and averages of batting unit,” Rohit told PTI in an exclusive interview.

It is not possible to have a 55 average and a 110 strike-rate: Rohit 

Rohit said about the decline in his ODI averages that he is deliberately taking more risks while batting to increase his strike rate. The veteran opener has been criticised in recent years for not converting his good start into big scores. He scored just two centuries in 23 innings during this period, but his scoring rate was between 114.22 and 106.09 compared to his overall career ODI strike rate of 90.

“I wanted to take more risks, which is why my numbers are slightly different now. My (ODI) strike-rate (during this period) has increased but the average has dipped a bit. This is exactly what our batting coach (Vikram Rathour) was telling me, ‘You have scored big runs because of the way you batted all these years and in the last few years, it (big runs) has not happened because you are taking risks,” said Rohit.

“My career strike-rate is around 90 (89.97) but in the past couple of years, if you look at my scores and take the strike-rate into consideration, it has been around 105-110. So somewhere you had to compromise. It is not possible to have a 55 average and a 110 strike-rate,” the Mumbai cricketer added.

Here’s how fans reacted to Rohit Sharma’s statements ahead of the 2023 Asia Cup:

https://twitter.com/meetbeniwal999/status/1696485400234369339