New Delhi: Former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes believes having someone of Rohit Sharma’s vast experience in the Indian squad will be an invaluable asset for the two-time champions as they go further in their plans to prepare for the 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup.
Veteran right-handed opener Rohit has scored 11895 runs in 288 ODIs, including hitting 34 centuries and 62 fifties. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2019 ODI World Cup and led India to a runners-up finish in the 2023 edition on home soil.
“You’ve got to remember that having experience at a World Cup is another factor that we don’t factor in. We look at the talent of the players, the ability that they’ve got and their performances.
“Maybe they’ve had a great knock and had a good season. But when it comes down to pressure moments, a World Cup is very much high pressure. Players can look after themselves physically, but that mental strength is something that we don’t often factor in when it comes to selection.
“But as somebody who’s played in four Cricket World Cups without getting past two semi-finals, I know how stressful it can become. So having someone like Rohit Sharma in your squad is such an asset at a World Cup,” said Rhodes to JioStar.
Rhodes, currently serving as co-owner of the Rotterdam Dockers in the ongoing European T20 Premier League (ETPL), also praised veteran better Virat Kohli’s fierce competitive drive and compared his intensity to the ruthless mindset of dominant Australian teams of the past.
Just like Rohit, Kohli has been a lynchpin of the Indian batting order in the 50-over format and has amassed 14941 runs in 314 games, including hitting 54 hundreds and 79 half-centuries.
“We have watched Australia win so many World Cups and seen their aggression and the expectation to win almost. And I think that’s what Virat has been. He has had this absolute hunger to win games for his team.
“When you’re the leader and the captain of a setup, and you can consistently be the best chaser in the world, it just shows how determined you are to be the guy that gets the team over the line. When he chases down scores for such a long period of time, he has been the ultimate finisher of the game for India.
“From that perspective, he feeds off that aggression. He doesn’t mind when he’s batting. A lot of players don’t want to lose their concentration. If he’s batting, he’ll get stuck in as well. So he’s certainly somebody who loves the contest and loves the fight. He just has such a huge drive to win games for India, and whether he’s captain or not, he’ll still have that drive. He just wants India to win,” added Rhodes.
(IANS)
