‘Same thing could happen in 2027 World Cup’: Dinesh Karthik hails Rohit Sharma’s 92 against West Indies

India’s Rohit Sharma (PTI Photo) Rohit Sharma may have missed out on a deserved century in the third ODI against the West Indies, but his knock of 92 runs underlined again why experience could be one of India’s biggest assets heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup.With India rocked by the early dismissals of skipper Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, Rohit resisted the temptation to attack and instead absorbed the pressure before switching gears later in the innings. His measured approach drew high praise from former India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who believes the knock showed exactly why Rohit will remain crucial for India in South Africa.

Rohit absorbs the pressure before turning on the heating

India struggled early in the third ODI at the CA International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, losing Gill and Kohli in the opening three overs. With the pitch offering help to the West Indies hitters, Rohit had to put his natural attacking instincts aside.He joined Ruturaj Gaikwad to steady the innings and bide his time against a disciplined West Indies attack. Rohit scored just 20 runs from his first 40 balls before picking up the pace dramatically to finish with 92 off 85 deliveries. Karthik pointed out that the innings progression is a perfect example of how experience allows a batsman to assess a situation rather than panic.“The beauty of the experience is that they have seen this situation many times. If you take Rohit Sharma, when he saw the first two wickets fall, when you see he was on 20 first 40 balls with a strike rate of 50. It was because he knew he could believe in himself, he could trust himself and get them quickly,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.“And then you see how quickly he moved to 92 after scoring less than a run-a-ball. His strike rate went over 100 but he made up for it in the next 40 balls. He took his time in the first 40 balls, didn’t let wickets fall and then in the next 40 balls he went and smashed,” he added.

Karthik sees Rohit’s experience as a World Cup weapon

Rohit’s ability to shift gears as the situation demanded was particularly impressive given the quality of the West Indies bowling attack. Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph kept the pressure on early, forcing the veteran to play a more cautious role.Karthik believes that willingness to respect the conditions and wait for the right opportunity is exactly the kind of experience India could need when they travel to South Africa for the 2027 ODI World Cup.“He saw Jayden Seales bowl a good spell; Alzarri (Joseph) bowled nice and sharp. He took his time, waited for them to play in his areas and if they don’t, I like to defend. To have the guts and conviction at that moment is what experience is all about. A lot of people would try to do a bit more than they should because they would be scared. Young Rohit Sharma would have made a mistake today but he would have made a fortune today.

“The same thing can happen in South Africa”

Karthik believes the lessons from the West Indies series could prove valuable when India face tough conditions in South Africa. He pointed out that Rohit, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill may be asked to adapt their games depending on the conditions rather than blindly sticking to an aggressive approach.“The same could have happened even in South Africa, and that’s when the experience of Rohit, Shubman or Virat can come into play where they are able to slow down and say, ‘OK, I’m not going to play big right now and I know I can make arrangements later,'” Karthik added.