Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that Rohit Sharma appears to be at the peak of his abilities based on his recent performances. His comment followed Rohit’s explosive half-century in the opening ODI of the three-match series against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30.
Rohit, who was recently replaced by Shubman Gill as India’s ODI captain, struggled in the first match against Australia last month. However, he has since bounced back with scores of 73, 121*, and 57. On Sunday, he smashed 57 off 51 balls and shared a 136-run stand with Virat Kohli (135), giving India a strong platform to reach 349.
In a recent video on his YouTube channel Irfan Pathan, the 41-year-old added that Rohit’s fitness makes him look much younger than his age and expressed happiness at the way both Kohli and Rohit are performing. Pathan stated:
“As for Rohit Sharma, he seems to be at his peak. It doesn’t look like he is 38, he has improved his fitness. But the way he is playing according to the conditions and batting flawlessly, the half-century only shows with what mindset he is moving forward.”
“It feels extremely good seeing how these two players are progressing. Rohit was dropped once off Nandre Burger’s bowling but he batted exceptionally – whether it be playing on the up or pull shot.”
“KL Rahul can bat at any position”- Irfan Pathan
With stand-in skipper KL Rahul scoring 60 off 56 balls in the opening match of the series, Irfan Pathan noted that batting at No. 6 has become tougher because of the recent rule change. However, he added that India gained a major advantage by having Rahul in that position, as his solid and compact technique suited the situation perfectly.
“When you bat at No.6, it’s not easy, especially due to the change in rules. After the 34th over, you choose a ball that is slightly older to continue, so you don’t get a ball that is 25 overs older and you get a much older ball. It is a lot softer and it is beneficial to have a batter with a strong technique,” Pathan said.
“This is KL Rahul’s mindset, he is ready to bat at any spot. He started slightly slowly and sometimes the match can get out of the hand, so it will be a challenge to get off the blocks quickly. But he played an exceptional knock,” he added.
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