Champions Trophy, India vs Pakistan: Will Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rise to the occasion? | Cricket News

Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli are in the autumn of their careers but they have stellar records against Pakistan in ODIs & ICC events. Can they rise to the occasion one more time?
“We are different countries. We have different jerseys. But the game only knows the basics. You reap the rewards of hard work. It’s the environment within the stadium that elevates your performance, and that’s exactly the case when we play against Pakistan, more than any other team,” says India great Virat Kohli – in a video released by the official broadcasters – while talking about the game against Pakistan on February 23 in Dubai.

Political correctness isn’t Kohli’s forte. He doesn’t hide behind ‘it’s-just-another-game’ platitudes. He loves the hype and the big-game pressure whenever India play Pakistan. His numbers against Pakistan prove it: 16 ODIs, 678 runs, avg 52.15, strike-rate 100.29.
Intensity? 10,000 units. Examples? Mirpur (2012), Adelaide (2015), Colombo (2023), Birmingham (2017). Clutch checklist? 23-10-22, T20 World Cup, Melbourne. Making the impossible possible? Over 18.5. THAT shot against Haris Rauf. T20 WC performance vs Pak? 6 matches, 312 runs, avg 156, strike-rate 132.

Don’t watch the stroke for its remarkable execution. Don’t track the trajectory of the ball after its appointment with the middle of Kohli’s willow. Zoom into the batter’s eyes. Hear his heart pound.
But before every act of heroism, there is misplaced early bravado. Pakistan were Kohli’s first opponents in ICC events at Centurion in the 2009 Champions Trophy. And his inside-out shot against Shahid Afridi, which landed in the juggling palms of Umar Gul at long off, still haunts him since it derailed India’s chase. He vowed to become a ‘chasemaster’ after that, ticking that bucket list innumerable times.

However, two of India’s three defeats to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy have come in Kohli’s era. The last one was in 2017, a humiliating 180-run mauling in the final at the Oval when Kohli was captain. India were favourites but imploded against a freakish Fakhar Zaman, who scored a century, and an inspired opening burst with the ball from Mohammed Amir.
Conspiracy theorists also attributed the loss to a revolt against the coach. It was also under Kohli’s leadership that Pakistan broke their winless streak in World Cups against India, winning by 10 wickets in Dubai in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Kohli would want to set some records straight here. He also has some self-doubt to slay after his troubles in red-ball cricket and all the trolling he has endured.
Clouds of apprehension have also circled around skipper Rohit Sharma’s head. With his famed hand-eye coordination showing signs of slackening, the ability to judge length early has also vaporized. It has resulted in his form in Tests showing an alarming dip, triggering tame dismissals at home and in Australia.

The red flag is up for him, especially in the longest format. But his form in white-ball cricket has been excellent. Ever since he adopted and communicated the need to embrace a high-risk, high-reward strategy in the Powerplay, Rohit has helped in giving the team a massive launchpad to go big while batting first. In pursuit of targets, he has managed to break the back of big chases and make the equation easier for the rest of the batters.
Rohit has a fabulous record against Pakistan. In 19 matches, he has scored 873 runs, averaging 51.35 with two tons and eight half-centuries.

The last time the two teams met in 50-overs cricket, in Dubai, he was leading in the 2018 Asia Cup and stroked an unbeaten 111. His 140 in Manchester on a gloomy Sunday in the 2019 World Cup was a masterclass in taking the game on. The slashed six off Hasan Ali over deep point evoked comparisons with the great Sachin Tendulkar’s storied upper cut off Shoaib Akhtar in Centurion in 2003.
Rohit also belted a 63-ball 86 that demoralized the men-in-green in 2023 in Ahmedabad, putting on a tutorial in how to pull high-pace deliveries into the galleries.

But he has fallen victim to left arm pace and the ball swinging in from over the wicket. Shaheen Shah Afridi got him LBW with a deadly yorker in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Mohammed Amir did the same in the 2016 Asia Cup in Mirpur and the 2017 Champions Trophy final at the Oval.
The Cuttack hundred against England has enabled Rohit to keep the doubters away for a while. Another attacking and authoritative knock against Mohammed Rizwan and Co. could help him increase that distance.

‘RoKo’ as a hashtag is popular but superficial and an attempt to hyphenate the careers and achievements of the two Indian batting superstars. A combined effort from the two veterans, though, may not just help India win another global trophy, but it may also enable toxic fans of Rohit and Kohli to co-exist respectfully and make the social media space more palatable.