Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said Rohit Sharma’s return will strengthen India’s batting in the ODI series against England, with his ability against short-pitched bowling posing a challenge for opponents. Nayar also backed Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback and urged careful workload management, while supporting Kuldeep Yadav to excel in English conditions with consistent backing.

New Delhi: Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes Rohit Sharma's return for the three-match ODI series against England will strengthen India's batting unit.

With India welcoming back several senior players after the T20I leg of the tour, Nayar opined that Rohit's experience and proven success against short-pitch bowling would make an immediate impact.

“In the T20 series as well, one of the biggest challenges for the Indian batters was the short ball. Rohit Sharma is someone who actually feeds off it and scores heavily against short-pitched bowling. When you do well in SENA countries and overseas, it's partly because you can handle pace well and score runs against the short ball, and that's exactly what India will get from both Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma,” Nayar told JioStar.

The former India assistant coach feels Rohit's presence alone could compel England to alter their bowling plans, as he said, "England will have to change their strategy and bowl differently to them. That's what top players do; they don't change the way they play, they make the opposition change the way, they target them. India will certainly enjoy having Rohit Sharma back, and when you go into big series and major tournaments, that experience gives you the comfort and confidence you need."