Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar noted Rohit Sharma's main hurdle is converting his starts, citing that with the ball doing its bit, one would expect the veteran opener to take some time since he isn’t playing all formats.
Rohit's form has come under heavy scrutiny in the ongoing England tour. In fact, his struggle for rhythm has fueled retirement rumours, especially with young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings.
The 39-year-old managed only 11 runs in the series opener at Edgbaston and a laboured 26 runs off 47 balls during the second ODI at Cardiff. In his 8 ODI innings this year, he is averaging just 30.12 with a strike rate under 89.
All eyes will be on Rohit as the Men in Blue gear up to face England in the series-deciding third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday (July 19).
“Conditions are important. You have to respect the conditions. In this game, the ball was seaming, doing a bit, so you expect Rohit Sharma to take time as he isn’t playing all formats," Nayar said while speaking on Star Sports.
Nayar emphasized that Rohit’s knock in the second ODI at Cardiff showed signs of pressure rather than a lack of intent or skill.
“He also understands and will reflect. After a point, after Sam Curran’s over, it looked like he was under pressure. Other than that, I felt the tempo was fine. I am not so worried about the strike rate," Nayar stated.
“But normally, when he gets to 26, he does make a 50 from there. So that’s something he would be concerned about," he added.
Rohit will be keen to make amends at Lord’s, and Nayar backed the former skipper, saying that he was batting well and only needed to get his mindset right.
“Rohit doesn’t get out a lot against off-spinners. But he got out because it looked like he was sort of stuck for runs. So more than skill, it is the mind. But he is batting well, so I am not concerned," Nayar remarked.
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has firmly denied the rumours that Rohit Sharma will hang up his boots from international cricket after the third Lord’s ODI.
“There are a lot of speculations going on in the media about Rohit Sharma’s future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord’s on Sunday,” Saikia told RevSportz.
While Saikia ruled out Rohit's retirement this weekend, he stopped short of confirming whether the seasoned campaigner remains part of India's plans for the 2027 World Cup.
“Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, the Lord’s ODI won’t be his last match,” he further stated.
