Rohit Sharma meets his nemesis in South Africa- Kagiso Rabada

Rohit Sharma has scored 40 runs in four matches so far and has a miserable average of 10 in the ongoing ODI series. (Source: Reuters)

Rohit Sharma has found a new nemesis in the form of Kagiso Rabada. This was after the South African seamer dismissed the India opener for the sixth time in the ongoing ODI series at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. After a phenomenal season in 2017, the current year has not begun according to plan for the right-hander as he has been out of form in the South African tour. Sharma’s struggles in the rainbow nation are not new. If we cast our mind back to the 2013 series, the Indian opener had struggled even then. Five years ago, Sharma could only rack up 37 runs in 2 innings at an average of 18.50 in the ODI series. In Tests, he played four innings and scored 45 at an average of 11.25. In 2018, not much has changed except that Rabada has made Rohit Sharma his bunny.

It all began in the first Test at Cape Town where Rabada dismissed Sharma for 11. In the second Test, Rabada once again found Rohit’s number and scalped him in both the innings. In the ODIs, Rabada went on to dismiss Rohit in all the three one-day internationals (including two caught behinds) before getting him out caught and bowled for five on Saturday.

With 40 runs in four matches so far and a miserable average of 10 in the ODI series, Rohit Sharma will be under scrutiny for his poor performance. But what must concern the Indian think tank is his repeated failures against the number one bowler in ODI cricket. While playing rash shots has been one problem, another issue is his temperament, which continues to betray him.

Rohit Sharma was dismissed for just 5 runs during the fourth One-Day International match between South Africa and India at New Wanderers. (Source: AP)

Since being promoted to the top of the batting order, this is Sharma’s worst average in a series. His failures will also concern skipper Virat Kohli as India struggles to find a consistent opening partnership on foreign soil. In the run-up to the 2019 World Cup, this area seems to be the only blip in an otherwise formidable Indian side.