Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, had come close to scoring back-to-back hundreds in his last ODI series against West Indies dismissed for 92 in Mullanpur after scoring 101 in Guwahati in his previous match. So question of every cricket fan’s mind is which of these two batters – also known as RoKo – will score more tons in the ODI series against New Zealand.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara assessed who between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is more likely to score more centuries during the series. “The way Rohit bats, he has a role of providing good starts in the powerplay. In New Zealand, maybe that role changes, so he could go for a century. But for Virat, the chances are slightly higher because he bats at number three. His game is more about playing the anchor role,” Pujara said.
“So, for a batsman coming in at number three, scoring a century in the ODI format becomes a bit easier. The opener’s role is also defined, but in New Zealand conditions, that changes a bit. So, I feel Virat has more chances of scoring a hundred in New Zealand than Rohit,” Pujara added.
India vs New Zealand Test series is decisive: Abhishek Nayar
Kolkata Knight Riders head coach and former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar discussed Team India picking different ODI squads in the context of the short turnaround before the two-Test series against New Zealand.
“New Zealand came to India, they beat us in the Test series, and that hurt me a little, as it did the rest of our fans too. So, it’s a big series. There should be a balance in life. World Cup is important, but there is some time for that. This Test series, for me, is a decisive one for Gautam Gambhir and Indian fans,” Nayar said on JioHotstar.
“So, I would have liked players like KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, who are playing both formats, to focus only on Test cricket. Because now you have to prepare for the ODIs and, after that, the Tests. So, I would rather have given them one or two months to go and practise with the red ball. Just like they beat us here in India, we should beat them there,” Nayar added.
On Yashasvi Jaiswal not being picked in the ODI squad, he said, “I know that the communication must have taken place with Yashasvi that, ‘Look, we are not picking you because Rohit Sharma is anyway going to open with Shubman Gill. So, rather than sitting out, you prepare for New Zealand and play the Ranji Trophy, because that gives you a better chance of coming good in the Test series and helping Team India win.”