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Amid rumours of Rohit Sharma’s retirement, India National Cricket Team batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backed the experienced opener after the India vs England 2nd ODI match in Cardiff. Kotak felt that the former India captain could soon get back his usual batting flair.
In two back-to-back matches against England, Rohit looked to be off color as he managed to score only 11 and 26 in the first and second ODI of the ongoing series, respectively. Ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, the off-form of Rohit Sharma emerged as a concern.
Rohit Sharma endured a disappointing outing in Cardiff
In the second ODI, on July 16, where England defeated India by 4 wickets with 35 balls to spare, with Joe Root’s unbeaten 99, Rohit returned for only 26 runs from 47 balls. During the powerplays, the 39-year-old had to struggle to find the sweet spot between bat and ball.
The Cardiff pitch was not entirely for the batters; there was a lot for the seamers too. So, whether it was Joe Root or Virat Kohli (65 off 66) who batted according to the conditions, they had to grind hard for every run they claimed in the game.
Rohit Sharma took his time to get settled on the track and then was dismissed by Will Jacks while trying to play an outrageous sweep shot.
Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak supports Rohit Sharma
After the match, Sitanshu Kotak, the Indian batting coach, mentioned that there was no extra pressure on Rohit. Given his stature, Kotak stated that one or two underwhelming knocks would not be enough to judge a batter like Rohit Sharma.
“I don't think a player as big as Rohit can feel the pressure," Kotak said at the post-match press conference.
“He's too good a player to feel that. Yes, he hasn't scored in two games. I don't think that makes any difference. But today also it looked like he'll get a good innings, but that's okay [that he didn't get a big score," he added.
Kotak further emphasized that the opener could return to runs soon. Maybe in the Lord’s match, where India and England will be up against each other for the third and final match of the series, Rohit could bring out his best.
“You might see a completely different innings from Rohit at Lord's. I wouldn't use the word struggling, but maybe the shots he normally plays on the up, which are because of the double bounce, probably he felt it was not comfortable,” the Team India batting coach expressed.
Sitanshu Kotak did not want to say Rohit Sharma was struggling
Kotak did not want to say that Rohit was struggling, as ups and downs are all related to a batter’s career. So, the coach backed the former captain, who is rumoured to retire after the Lord’s match on Sunday, and stated that the batter could soon rejuvenate his form in Indian colours.
“You could definitely see a completely different innings from a player like Rohit, and I have seen that happening to a lot of batters. So it's not just Rohit. I wouldn't use the word he was struggling,” Kotak told the reporters.
