Real Talk: Ahead of T20 World Cup, India captain Rohit Sharma grapples with 4 significant challenges; one because of Hardik Pandya

In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, where all players are aiming to secure a spot in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup with their stellar performances, Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma must also be contemplating about the upcoming T20 World Cup. Rohit, along with Ajit Agarkar's selection committee, is tasked with announcing the Indian team for the 2024 T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in June. However, before this announcement, Rohit Sharma is facing four significant challenges that he must overcome.

Hardik Pandya's poor form

In the IPL 2024 season, Hardik Pandya has not been able to deliver anything remarkable for the Mumbai Indians, both with the bat and the ball. As captain, Pandya's lackluster performances have been disappointing. In eight matches for Mumbai, he has managed only 151 runs with a batting average of 21.57 and has hit only seven sixes. Similarly, in the bowling department, he has taken just four wickets from 102 deliveries, with an economy rate of 11.47.

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Lack of consistency from Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav's return to the IPL 2024 season after an injury in December 2023 has not been smooth. In the match against Delhi, he was dismissed for a duck, and in his third game back, he was out for a duck against CSK. While he managed to score 52 runs against RCB, he could only score 78 runs and 10 runs against Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals respectively. Yadav's inconsistency with the bat has become a concern for Rohit Sharma, as the team relies on him for stability in the middle order.

Partner for Jasprit Bumrah

In the ICC T20 World Cup 2023, Mohammed Shami eased the burden off Jasprit Bumrah's shoulders with his remarkable performances. However, the question arises as to who will partner with Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup. This dilemma adds to Rohit Sharma's concerns.

Despite the presence of fast bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur, and Deepak Chahar, none of them have delivered exceptional performances yet. However, in the IPL 2024 season for Rajasthan Royals, Avesh Khan has shown promise by taking eight wickets in eight matches. Avesh Khan could be a potential partner for Bumrah in the death overs, but Rohit and Agarkar need to find a solid fast-bowling option to support Bumrah.

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Opening partnership

In the IPL 2024 season, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been opening for their respective franchises. As a result, there's a debate among pundits whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should open together in the T20 World Cup 2024. Some argue that Kohli should bat at number three. However, Kohli's success as an opener for RCB, where he scored the most runs (379) in eight matches, including a century, supports the case for him to open with Rohit.

Additionally, Yashasvi Jaiswal has also impressed as an opener, scoring a century against Mumbai, while Shubman Gill has amassed 298 runs for Gujarat. Hence, deciding on the opening partnership alongside Rohit Sharma remains a challenging task.

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