Indian team’s opening batsman Rohit Sharma is going through bad form. Rohit, who has turned 39, scored 26 runs in 47 balls in the second ODI against England on Thursday (July 16). He never looked comfortable at the crease. It seemed that he had lost his old touch. He became the victim of Will Jacques in the 18th over of India’s innings. Rohit had also batted slowly in the first match of this 3-match ODI series played in Birmingham. He was able to score only 11 runs in 21 balls.
When he was seen struggling in the second ODI, the news of his retirement started making headlines. Media reports claimed that Rohit may announce his retirement in the third format to be held at Lord’s. According to reports, the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar has told him that now young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal will be tried for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Team India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has said that Rohit is neither under pressure nor going through bad form, which has become a topic of discussion.
On one hand, Team India captain Shubman Gill is scoring runs rapidly in the initial overs but Rohit is looking stuck. Forget hitting boundaries, he is not even able to rotate the strike. Before getting out in the second ODI, he played 9 dot balls in a row, which shows that he has lost his rhythm and how much pressure he is under. However, Kotak has a different opinion.
After India’s defeat by 4 wickets, he said in the press conference, ‘I don’t think there will be any kind of pressure on a capable player like Rohit. He’s such a good player that he won’t even feel that way. It is true that he did not score runs in two matches but I do not think it makes any difference. Even today it seemed that he might play a good innings but that is not an issue.
Kotak gave this answer when he was asked whether players like Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ishan Kishan could get a chance as an opening batsman in ODIs after the series ends.
Kotak said that Rohit was not struggling. He was just troubled by the double bounce. He told reporters, ‘I wouldn’t say he was struggling but perhaps he was not feeling comfortable on the shots he usually plays upwards and that could be because of the double bounce.’ Kotak said that even great batsmen may take time to find their rhythm and expressed hope that Rohit would be successful in playing big innings in the third ODI.
He said, ‘I have played and seen a lot of cricket. I have seen many batsmen that one day they are not able to achieve their desired rhythm and this can happen. It is possible that you may get to see a completely different innings of Rohit Sharma at Lord’s on Sunday.
