Matthew Hayden advised Rohit Sharma to play with “energy” and “intent” to rediscover his natural batting style. Rohit struggles in red-ball cricket continue.
Hayden’s Trigger Words For Rohit Sharma
Former Australian batter, Matthew Hayden has offered valuable advice to Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to urge him to regain his natural batting style. Rohit Sharma is known for his free-flowing and dominant approach, but he struggled to find a form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has faced criticism after a series of low scores.
In the recent Test match at Adelaide, Rohit demoted himself to bat at number 6, the position where he has familiarity and had started his Test career. However, this strategy didn’t yield results. He has scored just 3 and 6 , which highlighted his struggle. Hayden, addressed Rohit’s issues and emphasised the need for a mindset change and shared two crucial “trigger words” – ‘intent’ and ‘energy’ to help him regain his form.
Intent Over Defence
Hayden believes Rohit’s strength lies in the aggressive style and his ability to score freely across formats. He has highlighted his iconic double hundreds in ODIs. Hayden said Rohit’s game is bad when becomes too defensive. “When I think of Rohit Sharma, I think of a free-scoring batsman. You don’t want him to defend the ball unnecessarily,” Hayden explained.
He further stressed Rohit’s poor batting in Adelaide and advised Rohit that he should react quickly to deliveries and play with his natural instincts rather than overthinking.
“For Rohit’s sake, I’d tell him to be reactive, up for the fight, and his natural game will flow.”
Triggered Words
According to Hayden, Rohit Sharma need to focus on two key mental aspects- energy and intent to prepare for matches effectively. Hayden said “Rohit, my brother, play with great energy and intent. These two words should guide him in his preparations and approach at the crease.
Hayden believes that he charges-up Rohit, playing with positive intent. He can put any bowling attack under pressure. By stepping forward to deliveries and playing with rhythm, Rohit can overcome his current struggles and return to his dominant self.
India’s Situation In Series
As India faced defeat in the pink-ball test in Adelaide, the pressure is not only on Rohit Sharma but also on the team. India finished day three at 51 for 4. Kl Rahul is on 33 unbeaten and Rohit is yet to open his account after opting to bat at number 6.
Australia’s dominating first-innings total of 446 has placed India in a challenging position. This requires senior players like Rohit to step up and deliver.
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