‘It doesn’t matter who you are’: Rohit Sharma’s ‘real hunger’ questioned after poor India vs New Zealand series | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s lean run with the bat sparked a debate after another modest outing in the third and deciding ODI against New Zealand in Indore on Sunday. Rohit, who scored just 11 runs from 13 balls, continued a decline in form that has raised questions about his motivation as he enters the final phase of his international career.

Having retired from T20Is and Test cricket, Rohit is now only active in ODIs. Although he was named player of the series during India’s ODI series against Australia last year, he has struggled to replicate that form in recent months. Against South Africa, Rohit scored 146 runs in three matches, but his production fell sharply against New Zealand, where he scored only 61 runs in the three-match series.Rohit’s failure in the series decider prompted former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull to question whether the veteran still had a clear goal driving him. Speaking while commentating on Star Sports Network, Doull said: “I think with Rohit, he’s always had something to chase, like a goal in mind, whether it’s a T20 World Cup, whether it’s a 50-over World Cup. I just wonder, this 27th World Cup in South Africa, is it too far away? Does he have that real hunger? Maybe it’s just, I mean, it’s different every year, right? Because we’re building We seem to be building national teams, no matter who you are Every year you’re preparing for a different format of ICC event, right?“Lately and over the next couple of weeks we are gearing up for a T20 World Cup. So there is very little one-day cricket being played over the last four months and over the next three or four months. Next year, I suppose, or later this year and next year, there will be an absolute diet of 50-over cricket. “When you only play one format, you don’t get a lot of opportunities. The next time he wears the Indian uniform will be, what, July in the UK? That’s a long way off.”While Rohit endured a tough series, Virat Kohli stood out for India, finishing as the top scorer with 240 runs at an average of 80, including a century in the final ODI, even though he lost.