'Has to be Dismissed Early, Maybe if Shaheen..': PAK Legends Share Advice to Keep Rohit Sharma at Bay

Former Pakistan cricketers Wasim Akram and Moin Khan offered a few words of wisdom to their bowlers to keep Indian captain Rohit Sharma at bay. The Hitman was in destructive mode as he decked Afghanistan’s bowlers all over the park in India’s previous ICC ODI World Cup 2023 fixture at New Delhi.

The Men in Blue will face their arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14.

India had beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 stage when the two sides last met each other, Rohit’s men registered a massive 220-run win over the Men in Green.

ALSO READ| ‘Jitni Allah ne Likhi Hai Utni Milegi’: Babar Azam Not Afraid of Losing Captaincy if Pakistan Lose to India

Pakistan will thus be looking to avenge that defeat having won both their World Cup games so far, but India too have won both of their matches in the World Cup, and Rohit smashed a 131-run knock in the previous game, winning the Player of the Match award.

The 36-year-old has been in sublime form and the likes of Akram was full of praise for the Indian captain whereas Khan suggested that Shaheen Afridi should look to get Rohit early or else it will become very difficult to cope with him.

“Rohit Sharma looked so beautiful. He played proper shots and took no risks at all. He had a lot more time than the other batters. Kohli scored a fifty, it was a good knock, he was in control but Rohit was a different beast altogether,” said Akram on A Sports.

ALSO READ| Jasprit Bumrah Returns Home: Ahmedabad Braces for Local Boy’s ‘Show’ in India vs Pakistan Game

Moin added, “He has to be dismissed early, maybe if Shaeen lands a yorker or someone bowls a very good bouncer. Otherwise, it seems very difficult to get him out.”

Akram was in awe of Rohit’s form in the World Cup as he became the batsman with the most centuries in the history of the tournament, that too in just 19 innings, surpassing the likes of Sachin Tendulkar among other greats.

“Look at his record. He has got 7 World Cup hundreds in just 19 innings. The great Sachin Tendulkar scored 6 in 44 innings. Sangakkara had five in 35 innings and Ponting scored 5 centuries in 42 innings. So to get 7 centuries so quickly in World Cups is phenomenal,” Akram added.