Rohit Sharma’s poor run of form continued as he fell for a single-digit score in India’s first ODI against England at the VCA Stadium, Nagpur on Thursday (February 6).
The Indian captain came into the ODI series on the back of a disappointing Test tour of Australia, where he amassed only 31 runs in five innings at an abysmal average of 6.20.
Rohit was struggling so much that he decided to step aside from the fifth and final BGT Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground last month.
Rumours are rife that the Melbourne Test may have been his last for India, considering that the 37-year-old is unlikely to be in the scheme of things for India’s next WTC cycle, which begins with the tour of England later this year.
With growing speculations on his future, Rohit scored 2 off 7 balls in the ODI series opener against England. He tried to flick a delivery from Saqib Mahmood off his pads, only to top edge the ball straight into the hands of Liam Livingstone.
Rohit's scores during the 2024/25 season across formats read 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18, 11, 3, 6, 10, 3, 9 and 2, with a sum total of 166 runs from 16 innings at a terrible average of 10.37.
As the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is drawing closer, legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has expressed concerns over Rohit Sharma’s prolonged lean patch.
Kapil believes the captain’s poor form directly impacts the team’s performance. The 66-year-old hoped for Rohit to regain his form quickly.
"He is a big player. I hope he returns to form quickly. I will say good luck to the coach. It takes time to settle in. The whole country is looking forward to the side's performance. In the recent times, the side played well for some time. The team looks unsettled. When the captain's form is poor, the team has problems," Kapil said on Cricket Adda YouTube channel.
"The team has not done well, it's justified that the fans are angry. When these players came back after winning the T20 World Cup, the crazy scenes, I have never seen in my life. So, when they do bad, criticism follows. That's what I say, don't praise the players so much, that they can't handle. And then criticise them below the belt. This is my thought."
India are sweating over the fitness of their ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the Champions Trophy. The right-arm quick has been dealing with a back issue since the fifth and final BGT Test against Australia in Sydney last month.
While Bumrah has been named in India's Champions Trophy squad, his participation in the showpiece event depends on the outcome of the scans and assessment at the National Cricket Academy in the next few days.
When asked about the fitness concerns of Bumrah, Kapil replied: "There is no doubt about that. In the last two years, no other fast bowler has had so much impact. When a big player like Bumrah, Anil Kumble, gets unfit, it does impact the team. I hope he recovers soon enough."
India will open their Champions Trophy campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
