Ravichandran Ashwin sends warning to Rohit Sharma, 'prays’ for century amid shocking form slump

India might be getting into the groove for the upcoming Champions Trophy, but Rohit Sharma's poor batting form still remains one of their biggest concerns. The Indian skipper has been going through a rough patch and it continued in the first ODI against England.

Rohit's former India teammate Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in his support during these tough times. Ashwin claimed that the situation is not easy for Rohit Sharma and he spoke about his mindset going into the Champions Trophy 2025.

Ashwin understands Rohit's situation but feels that the criticism will only stop once the Indian skipper gets amongst the runs. India will also want their captain to lead from the front and set an example for the rest of the team.

Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India-Pakistan in or out? Tournament semi-finalists revealed by Shoaib Akhtar

Rohit Sharma receives support from former Ravichandran Ashwin

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about Rohit Sharma's poor form with the bat and spoke about the batter's mindset going into the ODI mould. According to Ashwin, Rohit is backing his excellent ODI record to score runs in the upcoming matches.

“This is not easy. If you look at it from Rohit’s point of view, then obviously, it is frustrating for him. He wants to concentrate on the series. He thinks that I’ve done well in this format and I’d like to continue," Ashwin noted.

"I’m going into the tournament with a lot of confidence on the back of the One-Day tournaments that I’ve played," the legendary India offspinner added.

Rohit Sharma has a brilliant ODI record and it can be said that it is his favorite format as well. He has played 266 ODIs in which he has scored 10868 runs at an average of almost 49 and a strike rate of 92.39.

Rohit has struck 31 hundreds and 57 fifties throughout his ODI career with the best of 264. The right-hander is one of the best openers in this format and has a staggering record to justify his claim.

Ravichandran Ashwin prays for Rohit Sharma

Further speaking in the same video, Ravichandran Ashwin felt that questions will be asked about Rohit Sharma's poor form but they will only stop once the batters start scoring runs. He hopes that Rohit scores a hundred soon to silence his critics.

“But people will ask questions. The ones who are watching will obviously ask. It’s a catch-22 situation. You can’t stop these questions. When will they stop? When he performs," said Ashwin.

“But as a cricketer, I understand what Rohit is going through. It’s not easy. I pray that he does well and scores a century in this series," he added.

Both Rohit and Ashwin have served Indian cricket for a long time across formats and understand each other's game pretty well. Rohit Sharma was India's captain when Ravichandran Ashwin announced his international retirement last year.

Rohit Sharma's recent form

In the first ODI against England, Rohit was dismissed just 2 off 7 balls as he chipped a straightforward catch to Liam Livingstone off the bowling of Saqib Mahmood. It was a hittable delivery but he mistimed off the toe of the bat.

Rohit's poor form has been ongoing since the start of India's home Test season. The Indian captain recently endured a highly disappointing series in Australia where he scored just 31 runs across three Tests at an average of 6.20. He even had to drop out of the final Test in Sydney owing to poor form.