2027 WC: Dissecting Rohit Sharma's ODI misery in South Africa
What's the story
Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been in the limelight lately, with talks of his retirement making rounds. However, he put those rumors to rest by scoring a brilliant century at Lord's. Albeit in a losing cause, the 39-year-old scored an impressive 138 runs against England in the ODI series decider. Here we look at how he has fared in South Africa, the co-hosts of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Performance breakdown
An average of 19.69 in South Africa
The tracks in South Africa are known to aid fast bowlers, offering pace and bounce.
Rohit has not been able to ace this challenge in his previous ODI assignments in the rainbow nation.
Across 13 ODI innings in the country, the batter has managed just 256 runs at a paltry average of 19.69.
His only 50-plus score here was a 115 in the 2018 Port Elizabeth ODI against the home team.
Numbers
Rohit only behind Kaif
As per Cricinfo, Rohit's ODI average of 19.69 is the second-worst among Indians who have played at least 10 innings while batting in the top seven in South Africa.
He is only behind Mohammad Kaif, who averaged 16.81 in the country.
Interestingly, Rohit's long-time partner-in-crime, Virat Kohli, averages a jaw-dropping 76.38 in South Africa.
Rohit, who last played an ODI on South African soil in 2018, has crossed the 25-run mark just once here.
Career
Here are his ODI stats
Rohit, who unlocked numerous achievements in the aforementioned Lord's ODI, boasts 34 hundreds in ODI cricket.
He is only behind Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Kohli (54) in terms of ODI tons.
Since making his ODI debut in 2007, the 39-year-old has tallied 11,895 runs from 288 ODIs at 48.95.
Rohit also owns three double-centuries and the highest individual score in the format (264).
He also owns 62 fifties.