Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra expects Rohit Sharma and his opening partner to use the powerplay well in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The upcoming edition of the mega event will be played in the West Indies and the United States as well. The Indian team will face Ireland, Pakistan and the United States in their first three group games in New York before playing against Canada in Lauderhill in their final game of the first phase as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “It will be extremely necessary to maximize the first six overs in West Indies and New York. As soon as the ball becomes slightly old and the field opens up, the ball will not come nicely onto the bat, and run-scoring will become slightly difficult. Then you will need power hitters in the end because the pitches will be like that. If you see from that perspective, you need to capitalize on the first six overs, and that’s where Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will try their best to do that.”

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However, Aakash Chopra said that Team India should look to score at least 45 to 55 runs in the first six overs. He further added that it would be great if they could reach the 60-run mark as well. He also observed that Rohit Sharma was looking to be ultra-aggressive in the first two T20Is against Afghanistan as well.

“The way Rohit batted in the first two matches, it seemed like he was adopting an ultra-aggressive mode, that he would try to hit every ball and do that without getting set.”He got run out once. There, too, he hit Fazalhaq Farooqi after stepping out and got out off the first ball in Indore,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “You ask whether he will be seen batting slightly differently in Bengaluru.”I feel he will try to bat similarly. Rohit Sharma is at his very best when he is aggressive. He showed that by doing it consistently in the ODI World Cup as well. It made a difference in the end.”