People who are familiar with Rohit Sharma can say with confidence that the Indian skipper doesn’t find it funny when people refer to him informally and informally using the epithet “lazy elegance.”
Rohit Sharma is incredibly graceful, yet for the longest time ever, the word “lazy” hasn’t been in his dictionary. 33 of his 41 international hundreds have come in ODIs and T20Is, and if he had even the slightest bit of sloth, it would not have been conceivable.
Forty-eight hours before the highly anticipated match against Pakistan, it appeared that Rohit, the skipper—at least for the day—made way for Rohit, the batter, who is considering how to combat the threatening pace and swing of Shaheen Shah Afridi.
He was attempting to concentrate on avoiding making any horizontal bat strokes, which is a horrific plan against a bowler like Shaheen who would not only bowl quickly but also swing it late and at a quick pace. The nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground are a little different from those at other venues in that one can only see them from a top-angle perspective, giving the impression that players are continually practicing at a huge well.
Team India Net Session
The Indian team had an optional net practice on Friday, and as the skipper entered the stadium, 30 or so spectators turned their attention to him. Dinesh Karthik accompanied Rohit during his almost one and a half hours of work.
After a routine net practice, Karthik, India’s chosen white-ball finisher, engaged in some simulation training with some risky lap scoop and reverse lap scoop strokes and pull shots, but Rohit’s session was far more engaging.
He appeared to be playing exclusively within the “V,” and while Karthik relished hitting a few scornful pulls, his captain—a master of horizontal bat shots—refrained from doing the same. He played front-foot and back-foot push drives with panache, left deliveries, and defense.
It never seemed tiresome, even when he left a few deliveries alone in between his shots. After finishing his practice, he remained talking with head coach Rahul Dravid while watching Karthik and afterward Axar Patel bat at the nets.
Rohit Started Practising Again
If anybody believed the captain was through for the day, they were incorrect. After a brief break, Rohit returned to the nets and was this time challenged by Sri Lankan expert Nuwan Seneviratne’s cutting left-arm throwdown. Nuwan was observed muscling the throwdowns quickly and angling it in from 18 yards, but Rohit was always up to the challenge.
