Rohit Sharma's Critical Innings Await as India Targets T20 Clean Sweep

With an unstoppable 2-0 lead, the series-victory box has already been checked. At the Chinnaswamy in Bangalore on Wednesday, Team India's skipper Rohit Sharma has to play a strong innings and pick up some pace in the third and final Twenty20 International against Afghanistan. He also needs to have the freedom to experiment.

After two straight losses in the series, Rohit has to have some experience in the shortest format in order to strengthen his claim to captain India in the next T20 World Cup in 2022.

The last Twenty20 International for India is scheduled on Wednesday, one week before the major tournament for the format in the West Indies and the United States in June. Apart from the IPL, Rohit will thus not have any further chances to restore his batting rhythm in competitive games.

Rohit hasn't exactly been terrifying at the top of the IPL, at least not in the previous three seasons, and this has also been a major factor in the Mumbai Indians' struggles in the league since taking home their fifth championship in 2020.

At the top, Rohit doesn't need to demonstrate his devastation-causing abilities. With his purpose and aggressiveness in the Powerplay during the ODI World Cup last year, he had shown it once again. That was essential to India's successful run up until Australia defeated them in the final.

No one can doubt Rohit's skills. However, considering how he was out of the game in the first two in this series, one might argue that the captain's batting has become a little bit too concerned.

He could have easily averted the dangerous single in the first over of India's run chase in the Mohali series opener, particularly because they were chasing a manageable 159-run mark in batter-friendly conditions. Though he hadn't yet got his eye in, he attempted to hoick one past the line off Fazalhaq Farooqi in the second one that took place in Indore on Sunday.

In his return Twenty20 international on Sunday, Virat Kohli scored 29 runs with a strike rate of 193.33. And in T20 cricket, strike rate usually takes precedence.

Therefore, Rohit is under a little bit more pressure than Kohli to make a noteworthy impact. Furthermore, the Chinnaswamy pitch has been resurfaced, so strokeplay should be supported more than it was during the India-Australia T20I last month.

Apart from the Rohit situation, the team management can afford to give pacer Avesh Khan and left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav some playing time in this last Twenty20 International. In this series, neither Avesh nor Kuldeep have yet to play.

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