“I thought he can also keep the upper cut ready”-Robin Uthappa on Rohit Sharma's dependency on pull shot against SA in 5-wicket loss

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa believes that Men in Blue skipper Rohit Sharma should have avoided the pull shot during the Group 2 Super 12 stage World T20 match against South Africa.

The Proteas managed to defeat the Asian giants by five wickets in a roller-coaster game at the Perth Stadium on Sunday, October 30.

Rohit opted to bat first after India won the toss on a pitch that assisted pacers. The intention was to set up a colossal score in the Australian conditions, but things did not go accordingly.

South Africa’s four-pronged pace attack, comprising Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje, made life difficult for the Men in Blue in the first 10 overs in bouncy and pacey conditions.

Pestering them with bouncers and short balls, South Africa restricted India to 60/5 at the halfway stage of their innings. Suryakumar Yadav then produced another hurricane innings (68 off 40 balls) to push India to a respectable 133/9.

Rohit had initial success when he pulled Rabada for a six in the second over, but the Indian skipper lost his wicket when he attempted the same against Ngidi in the second ball of the fifth over.

Uthappa, who was teammates with Rohit during India’s 2007 T20 World title triumph in South Africa, opined that the Indian opener should have used the upper cut shot as a response to short balls from South Africa’s pace juggernaut. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo on how the pull shots were unsuccessful in Perth, Uthappa said:

“Felt like the short ball that Lungi bowled to Rohit Sharma, did that as well (worked for South Africa). Just held at the wicket a little bit, kind of hurried him into the shot. I thought you (Rohit Sharma) can also keep the upper cut ready because there is so much bounce on a wicket like this. So that could also be a good option because if it’s inside your left shoulder, maybe the hook is a great option.I don’t know if the pull is the best option at Perth, especially with people who aren’t used to playing at Perth.”

Despite losing early wickets in the low-scoring chase, Aiden Markram (52) and David Miller (59*) steadied the sinking ship through their clinical 76-run partnership as South Africa grabbed two important points to sit at the top of Group 2 in the points table.