Former Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes that there will be pressure on Team India captain Rohit Sharma and swashbuckling batter Virat Kohli heading into the 2022 T20 World Cup. The two veteran batters have been going through poor runs in the recent past and are desperately on the lookout for a return in form. Notably, in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Virat Kohli scored 341 runs which came at an average of 22.73.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma also suffered a poor IPL campaign with the bat in Mumbai Indians’ campaign as they finished the 10th place finish in the points table as well. The franchise captain scored only 268 runs which came at an average of 19.14 as well. Akhtar has said in an interaction with Harbhajan Singh on Sportskeeda: “It is yet to be seen if this will be the last IPL or the last World Cup for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but, there will be pressure on them to maintain their form. In the latter part of the career, the pressure keeps on mounting. For instance, Sachin was constantly asked about being unable to score a hundred.”
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On the other hand, Harbhajan Singh believes that the duo will be under the pressure to make a mark at the T20 World Cup in Australia. Acknowledging Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s poor form with the bat, the former India off-spinner said: “They did not have a good IPL season. They will be hoping that they lead the team to a win in the T20 World Cup. With the next generation coming up, it can’t be said for certain which player will get opportunities.
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“In the final stages of your career, it becomes inevitable or your responsibility to perform in every match. There are a lot of expectations on them. God knows what is going to happen to Kohli, but it is my wish that he scores 110 centuries and keep his goals big. But at the moment, his confidence and morale must have come down. The only way it will increase, is by performing for India,” Shoaib Akhtar concluded.
