Rohit Sharma, Deccan Chargers’ most impressive batsman, now finds himself on the verge of missing not just the next match at home against Chennai Super Kings but in all probability also the tri-series in Bangladesh beginning in the first week of June.In the match against Bangalore on Sunday, Sharma (in pix) was facing Vinay Kumar when the latter’s delivery rose higher than expected, hitting the batsman on his right hand. Sharma winced in pain before he eventually lost his wicket to the same bowler. It was learnt later that the batsman is suspected of having fractured his hand or dislocated the bone and is most likely to miss the next match. Sharma will visit the doctor on Monday.If Sharma sits out, not only will Adam Gilchrist have to find a suitable replacement for his team’s best batsman in the tournament but even the national selectors, who meet on May 30, will have further responsibility on hands. Sharma has been among the top run-getters in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and more importantly, has handled Deccan’s batting responsibilities with elegance.In the match against Chennai, the pressure will be more on Venugopal Rao now, who has also been impressive. Captain Adam Gilchrist says he’s expecting one big contribution from the entire team in the last game so as to bow out with something positive. “Today, we once again fell short by a few runs. We got a good start but lost it midway,” he said. In the match on Sunday, Deccan enjoyed one of their better starts in the tournament when Gilchrist along with Herschelle Gibbs got off to a rollicking start. With 101 on board for the first wicket, the Aussie wicket-keeper-batsman was obviously disappointed they couldn’t go any further than 165. Gilchrist certainly doesn’t believe in being “jinxed.” In fact, the left-hander is clear as to what has been going wrong. “Whatever we do, it’s out there on the field. You don’t play well, you lose. It’s that simple,” he says.Now, with Sharma missing the Tuesday match against Chennai, the onus will once again be on Gilchrist and Rao. At best, the skipper’s hoping they give the home crowd something to cheer about.
