But, On Pure Quality Of Defense, Rohit Was Better Today: Sanjay Manjrekar Backs India Skipper's Big-hitting Capabilities

Shaheen Shah Afridi: Former India cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar has backed Rohit Sharma stating that the current Indian skipper has evolved more technically as a batter in the last four years. Manjrekar’s comment came after Rohit Sharma’s brilliant 56 runs off 49 deliveries against Pakistan in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup, here on Sunday.

Rohit Sharma specifically mentioned that he wanted to return to the mindset that helped him succeed in 2019 before the Asia Cup even began.

But since the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup, the captain has only scored three hundred in ODIs, and eight times he has failed to turn a fifty into a three-figure total.

Talking to Star Sports, Manjrekar said, "He got five centuries in the last World Cup, right? My assessment of Rohit Sharma is that his defense has actually gotten much better. He is a much better Test player now than he was in 2019. So, I have no issues."

Rohit Sharma hit four sixes and six boundaries as he looked solid before throwing his wicket away with a loose shot against leg-spinner Shadab Khan in the 17th over, ending a 121-run opening stand with Shubman Gill.

"I was absolutely not surprised with the defense he showed today against Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi. It's about converting those starts into big hundreds because that involves running a lot of 1s and 2s later on in the innings,” said Manjrekar.

"Today, he got out after fifty. Even earlier in the season, there were occasions when he had got past his fifty and looked good.

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"Only time will tell whether he would be able to replicate that. But, on the pure quality of defense, Rohit is better today. That natural ability to hit the big shots is still there. The question is whether he can bring that all together to hit 5 hundred, 4 hundred, or 3. That time will tell," he concluded.