3 ways Rohit Sharma's presence would have made a difference in the South Africa ODIs

Team India were dealt a massive blow ahead of the ODI series in South Africa when Rohit Sharma was ruled out due to a hamstring injury. The 34-year-old was named India’s new one-day captain ahead of the tour. He missed the Tests after being declared unfit and failed to recover in time for the ODIs.

In the senior opener’s absence, KL Rahul was named captain for the one-day series while Jasprit Bumrah was picked as vice-captain. Virat Kohli, after many years, was playing as a pure batter, having been sacked as ODI captain. Still, having lost the Test series, India would have hoped to do better in the one-dayers.

The visitors put up quite an abysmal performance in the first two matches to concede the series without a fight. It was an unexpected result as India looked a reasonably strong outfit on paper.

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India missing Rohit Sharma in the South Africa ODIs?

In the wake of India losing the one-day series with a match to go, we analyze three reasons why things might have been different if Rohit had been available.

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#1 He could have given the innings much-needed impetus at the start

The missing link in India's ODI puzzle in South Africa. Pic: Getty Images

Ahead of the ODI series, there were question marks over Shikhar Dhawan’s form. But considering how things have panned out, the problem has been at the other end. Dhawan, despite failing in the domestic competition back home, has looked in excellent touch. He hasn’t got the desired support, though.

Burdened by the pressure of captaincy, Rahul has not been his real self as a batter. He struggled for 12 off 17 in the opening ODI and Dhawan had to do the bulk of the scoring. Although Rahul scored 55 in the 2nd one-dayer, it came off 79 balls and that too after he was handed three lives by generous South African fielders. Still, the stand-in captain could not capitalize on the golden opportunity.

India have clearly missed Rohit at the top of the order. He could have given the innings the much-needed impetus in the initial overs. As a pair, Dhawan and Rohit complement each other brilliantly since they have been opening together for a few years now. Their track record as an opening pair in ODIs is among the very best.

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#2 Players would have expressed themselves better under Rohit

India’s poor body language has been questioned by critics. Pic: Getty Images

One common observation about Rahul’s captaincy in the ODIs series has been that he has lacked energy as a leader.

Yes, it is unfair to point too many fingers at the 29-year-old as he is new to the role and is only a stop-gap arrangement. No one expected him to do what Kohli did. But the fact remains that India’s body language in the two one-dayers has been completely flat and Rahul will have to take some flak for that.

The elegant batter has reasonable experience in international cricket. He may not be a natural leader but his presence as captain was next to negligible in the two matches in Paarl. In other words, the Indians seemed like a directionless bunch of men just going through the motions. Without doubt, Rahul’s inexperience as skipper came to the fore.

Rohit’s presence might not have guaranteed India victory, but they would have been much more competitive for sure. The 34-year-old is a proven leader and has impressed whenever he has gotten an opportunity to take over the reins in the past. Under Rohit, the Men in Blue could have expressed themselves far more efficiently, irrespective of the result.

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#3 Rahul might have batted with a lot more freedom

KL Rahul has not been in good rhythm with the bat. Pic: Getty Images

Rohit’s presence would have automatically strengthened the middle order. Rahul would have moved down the batting order, with Dhawan and Rohit opening the innings. More significantly, without the pressure of leadership, Rahul could have batted a lot more freely. He clearly looked under the pump in the first two matches owing to the additional responsibility.

Even for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rahul batted with a somewhat reserved mindset as he led the side. So even though he scored a bucketful of runs, not a lot of his efforts translated into wins, since only rarely were his performances with the willow dominating in nature.

It is clear by now that Rahul, with and without the pressure of captaincy, is like chalk and cheese. He is a proven match-winner with the bat in all formats. In white-ball cricket, he is capable of scoring at an astonishing rate without resorting to slogs. Who knows, we might have seen the best of Rahul the flamboyant batter had Rohit been around!