'Just needs to refresh, he's having a rough patch' - Graeme Smith's verdict on senior India batter ahead of West Indies tour

Rohit Sharma, the captain of Team India, hasn't been playing well in 2023, and his struggles in the WTC final at The Oval in London against New Zealand only made matters worse. In the WTC final, the opener was out for 15 and 43, which caused his team to lose by 209 runs. Rohit was in dismal form in IPL 2023 as well, scoring only 332 runs at an average of 20.75 in 16 games, with only two half-centuries. His 120 against Australia in Nagpur has been the only exception this year.

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith stated to The Times of India that the seasoned batter ‘just needs to refresh’. "One of the biggest challenges of a captain is your own personal performance. The pressure of a leader never goes away. Rohit probably needs to just refresh. His own form hasn't probably been at a level consistent. We look at the IPL over a number of years now and obviously the WTC finals, he is having a bit of a rough patch and often that personal performance can just settle things down a little bit", he said.

Yashasvi Jaiswal could see a way into the team if Rohit Sharma is rested

The former captain of South Africa believes that while Rohit's leadership does not need criticism, his own performance has come under fire. "No one is criticising his captaincy or leadership style. It's just obviously on the personal performance side, if he can get some really good scores behind him, it takes a lot of that pressure away", Graeme Smith added.

Yashasvi Jaiswal might start the inning for India in the Test series if Rohit is rested. However, there are also rumours that Cheteshwar Pujara would be rested. In their next two-match Test series against West Indies, India will be attempting to forget their WTC final setback. To make room for younger players, according to fans and experts, several older players in the squad may be given a rest. Rohit will be attempting to improve his form and perform better against the West Indies in the meanwhile. India will play West Indies in three ODIs and five T20Is after the Test series.