CHENNAI: To get Rohit Sharma back in form, former Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher felt that it would depend on the former MI captain himself, how he challenges himself in phases of the match and to look back on his previous bad patches in his decorated career.
The former five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain has been scrutinised for his form in the league, with his low-scoring woes spilling into this edition.
"I'm not too sure where he is at the moment. You know, from a fatigue perspective. He's played a lot of cricket. Sometimes as a coach, the only thing you can do is you can look at the player, have a conversation with him, ask a question or two on him," he said in a JioHotstar press room on Tuesday.
The former South African wicketkeeper believed that getting Rohit to good space is imperative in regaining his form. He explained, "If you are going through a little bit of lack of form where you might be hitting the ball sweet in the nets, but it's not happening in the middle (of the field), conversations like these will convince him that he's not in a bad form."
Boucher also admitted that his former star opener has not been able to dig his heels more. In five games this season, Rohit has not breached the 20-run mark. His scores so far read 0, 8, 13, 17, 18.
"He's getting himself in, but he hasn't been able to kick on. And I think it's a question that you might ask him, when you do get to 15 or 20, what is your plan after that? What's your next challenge?," the expert stated. This question, according to Boucher, would help things click for Rohit.
The former coach also suggested that the 37-year-old can maybe go back to the time when he had a similar slump and look at how he got out of it.
'Youngsters need to grab opportunities'
The Mumbai Indians this season have been lauded for their scouting of youngsters like left-arm spinner Vignesh Puthur from Kerala and Ashwani Kumar of Punjab.
When asked about how they can handle stardom and the pressure that comes along with the game, Boucher said that it depends on the stature of players they are with, and learn from them. "I'm sure that Mahela (Jayawardene, MI head coach) will be sitting down with them and saying, just make sure that when you do get your next opportunity, you're hungry and ready. While you are at it, get as much experience as you can. There are guys all around the squad, international cricketers, old, young, that you can learn a lot from," he concluded.