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India captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed for two runs in the first ODI against England in Nagpur.
Rohit Sharma is going through a rough patch. (BCCI Photo)
With less than two weeks before India start their quest for another ICC title at the Champions Trophy 2025, concerns over the form of their premier batter Rohit Sharma remain. The seasoned campaigner has been struggling to get going for some time now across formats with him managing just two runs in the recent ODI between India and England held in Nagpur.
Rohit has scored just 166 runs in his last 16 innings across formats, and he even dropped himself from India’s playing XI for the final Test of their Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia last month.
Ravichandran Ashwin, a former teammate of Rohit, sympathises with the India ODI captain but adds that the 37-year-old will continue to be scrutinised and the only way to stop the criticism is to score runs.
“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. I’m going into the tournament with a lot of confidence on the back of the One-Day tournaments that I’ve played,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“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,” he added.
Ashwin is praying for Rohit to score a hundred in the ongoing three-match series against England.
“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,” Ashwin said.
India defeated England by four wickets in the series opener to take 1-0 lead with Shubman Gill hitting 87 and winning player-of-the-match award. The second ODI will be held in Cuttack on Sunday.
