Shardul Thakur recently shared a candid conversation he had with Rohit Sharma about the latter’s form slump during the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Elite Group A match between Mumbai and Jammu & Kashmir last month. Despite his struggles with the bat leading into the game, Rohit’s stunning 119 off just 90 balls against England in the second ODI in Cuttack last week was a testament to his class and confidence.
This knock helped India comfortably chase down a 305-run target, and Shardul couldn’t help but praise his long-time friend for the impressive innings. Shardul Thakur highlighted that, despite Rohit’s lean patch leading up to the knock, the Mumbai opener never appeared to be out of form during the ODI.
“The way he batted in Cuttack, it didn’t even seem like he was struggling with his form. Sometimes you get out in cricket, that happens to everyone, but apart from that, he looked comfortable,” Shardul said in an interview with RevSportz. He also acknowledged that, at times, Rohit’s dismissals had been a result of bad luck, adding that the power with which he hits sixes is a clear sign of his innate ability.
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“You can only blame luck for those dismissals. When he hits those sixes, he’s a dangerous batter in any scenario. His class is different from the rest,” Shardul Thakur emphasized.
Reflecting on their conversation during the Ranji match, Shardul recalled that despite his lack of runs in both the New Zealand and Australia series, Rohit Sharma remained confident.
“He told me, ‘I know the runs are not coming now, but all I need is just one innings, and then the runs will come automatically,'” Shardul Thakur said. The 37-year-old’s belief was unwavering, even though he failed to score in the Ranji match against Jammu & Kashmir. Shardul pointed out that Rohit was looking confident in the nets, hinting that a breakthrough performance was just around the corner.
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Shardul Thakur also spoke about the challenges of being an opener, especially against the new ball, urging people to stop judging Rohit, considering his immense contributions to Indian cricket. “He is an opener, and facing the new ball is always tough. We should not judge him, especially with how many matches he has won for India across formats,” he added.
