India batting coach Sanjay Bangar Explains How Rohit Sharma is Preparing for Shaheen Afridi Ahead of Pakistan Clash in Asia Cup
One of the two guaranteed high-profile India-Pakistan matches will take place in less than a week, the first taking place at the Pallekele International Stadium in Sri Lanka during the 2023 Asia Cup. And the match’s main talking point will be the competition between Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi and India’s top order.
There is no denying India’s susceptibility to left-arm seamers. India’s vulnerability to left-arm seamers is no secret – 2017 Champions Trophy to Mohammad Amir, 2019 World Cup semifinal to Trent Boult, and 2021 T20 World Cup to Afridi himself. India has thus secured their sole like-for-like substitute at the training camp in Alur in an effort to counter the towering left-arm seamer.
In preparation for the continental competition, which will be followed by the ODI World Cup at home, India hitters were grouped into pairs to bat in match simulations in a centre-wicket drill at the KSCA facility on Days 2 and 3. On Saturday, Aniket Choudhary, a tall left-arm bowler, was ordered to bowl at Rohit Sharma, who was batting alongside KL Rahul.
Read further: KL Rahul begins batting practice before the Asia Cup
The 33-year-old has never represented India before, and while he may lack Afridi’s talent for getting late movement, his appearance at the practice net will at least give India an idea of what the Pakistan pacer might be like.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar Explains How Rohit Sharma is Preparing for Shaheen Afridi Ahead of Pakistan Clash in Asia Cup
Only three international cricket matches between Rohit Sharma and Shaheen Afridi have taken place. Rohit had managed 19 off 18 against the southpaw in their lone ODI meeting during the 2018 Asia Cup, en route to his match-winning century. However, Rohit was dismissed for a golden duck in Dubai during the 2021 T20 World Cup match when Shaheen made a comeback as a more experienced bowler. However, the India captain was able to neutralize the left-armer in their 2022 T20 World Cup match when he scored four out of five.
Sanjay Bangar, a former India batting coach, gave the captain advice to play the left-arm pacer through mid-on and mid-wicket while speaking to Star Sports on Saturday as the presenters played the film from Rohit’s practice match against Aniket.
“One doesn’t get many chances to play from that angle because most of the teams have a right-hand attack and opening bowling pairs. However, the angle is very crucial keeping in mind where you want to play as a batsman because when a left-arm bowler bowls from close to the stumps and brings it inwards towards the right-hand batsman.”
“One should target the bowler, for that, the head position needs to be perfect and one needs to set himself and think of scoring runs between mid-off and mid -on / mid-wicket areas. The batsman will get a chance to get into a better position against that angle bowling and one needs to learn and know where runs can be scored against angle bowling and on what all aspects the batsman needs to focus more. So, during practice Rohit would have been focusing on these areas,” he said.
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