Why does Rohit Sharma, the Powerplay blaster, slow down considerably in middle overs?

Rohit’s case is unique as his meek run in the IPL doesn’t diminish his quality on the international front. Over the last 10 years, no T20I opener has scored as many runs as Rohit. He also leads the T20I six-hitting charts (190) and smashed a record-extending fifth T20I ton in during the last series India played.

With a T20 World Cup arriving on the heels of the IPL, it seems Rohit has finally arrested the contrast between his T20I and IPL identities.

Late second wind

In the last four editions (2020-2023), Rohit aggregated 67.3 percent (886) of his runs (1313) in the Powerplay at an average of 24.31 and strike rate of 127.59. In the 55 innings during this period, Rohit failed to last the first six overs a whopping 32 times – the most among all openers. Last year, Rohit entered the middle overs only five times in 16 innings.

In seven matches this season, the 36-year-old has scored at an unprecedented strike rate of 178.21 in the Powerplay, falling only twice while aggregating 180 runs in the phase.

Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma in action during their match against Punjab Kings at the PCA Stadium in Mullanpur (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Where Rohit, the IPL batsman, will be closely scrutinised is the middle overs. During a 207-run chase against Chennai Super Kings last Sunday, Rohit waltzed through the Powerplay with a strike rate of 168 but slowed down considerably between overs 7-16 – scoring only 36 from 26 balls at a 138.46 strike rate. Though Rohit cracked his first IPL ton in 12 years and remained unbeaten, MI fell short by 20 runs.

On Thursday, Rohit managed 24 off 13 balls in the Powerplay against Punjab Kings before failing to break free later on. He fell for 36 off 25 balls, adding 12 runs from as many deliveries in the middle overs.

This slowdown has been a general characteristic of Rohit as an opener in the IPL, a stark contrast to his T20I avatar where he smacks at 148.60 in the middle overs.

Can Rohit crack the World Cup code this time?

Despite playing only three T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup, Rohit has remained one of the most prolific T20I openers over the last four years.

Since 2020, Rohit has ranked fifth among top-order batsmen with the highest strike rate in T20Is (for a 20-innings cut-off among the top 10 nations). Rohit has also gone at a faster clip, striking at 145.15 in 45 innings as opposed to 132.72 in 62 IPL innings in the last four years.

With evolving patterns of six-hitting and escalating scoring rates in the IPL, senior pros such as Rohit and Virat Kohli have been forced to improve their intent quotient.

Rohit may find some cushion in that the T20I game has not witnessed the same levels of six-hitting the IPL has over the last two years.

IPL 2023 was the most prolific completed edition for six-hitting, with 15.24 balls per maximum (1,124 sixes). This year, it’s shrunk to nearly 13.4 balls per six (Bp6) thus far. Meanwhile, the 2021 T20 World Cup bore 405 sixes at 24.28 Bp6, while the 2022 edition was less prolific at 28.82. For reference, in the last T20 World Cup held in the Caribbean in 2010, the six-hitting rate stood at 21.36.

Having struck a maximum every 13 balls in his last 46 T20I outings since 2020, Rohit would not be overtly worried about his hitting prowess.

He has not necessarily set the stage on fire over the last three editions (378 runs in 16 innings) of the T20 World Cup. With his strike rate shooting up to its best across a 16-year career this year, Rohit’s flourishing starts augur well for India before the global event in June.