"He doesn't play such shots" - Aakash Chopra extremely surprised by Rohit Sharma's dismissal in 2nd IND vs AFG T20I

Aakash Chopra has questioned Rohit Sharma's shot selection that led to his dismissal in the second T20I between India and Afghanistan.

Ibrahim Zadran and company set the Men in Blue a 173-run target after being asked to bat first in Indore on Sunday, January 14. Although Rohit was dismissed for a golden duck, the hosts chased down the target with six wickets and 26 deliveries to spare to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra expressed astonishment about the mode of Rohit's dismissal, explaining (6:10):

"It was extremely surprising the way Rohit got out. He was playing just his first ball. He doesn't play such shots. The ball went and hit his stumps. He got run out in the last match and was bowled for zero in this match. He hasn't scored a single run in this series thus far."

The former India opener added that the Mumbai Indians player needs to be among the runs in IPL 2024. He elaborated:

"Run-out was not his mistake but the shot selection definitely was. There is no doubt about Rohit Sharma's form and ability. However, he will have to be in form in the IPL and I feel he will bat like this only. We need 38-40, the runs he was scoring in the ODI World Cup, from his bat."

Rohit backed away and tried to pull Fazalhaq Farooqi off the first ball he faced. He missed the ball, which went on to hit the top of his off-stump, and was dismissed for a second successive duck.

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"That's an interesting bit" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli's ultra-aggressive approach

Virat Kohli scored 29 runs off 16 deliveries. [P/C: BCCI]

Aakash Chopra was also surprised by Virat Kohli's ultra-aggressive approach, saying (7:00):

"Virat Kohli was also playing in the same fashion. That's an interesting bit. He was stepping out from the first ball, hitting over the top, and playing shots everywhere. I said he was also playing differently."

The reputed commentator feels the modern batting great might lose his consistency if tries to score too quickly. He elaborated:

"I feel Virat Kohli is at his best, he has scored more than 4000 runs at a strike rate of around 140, so it's good if he plays close to that. If he tries to do more than that, he will lose his consistency. If he loses his consistency, I will be slightly sad as an Indian cricket fan."

Chopra opined that an ultra-aggressive approach might not be needed in the West Indies and New York as the matches are not expected to be high-scoring affairs. However, he acknowledged that Rohit and Kohli will adapt their games based on the conditions.