There’s been a bit of a murmur regarding the great Rohit Sharma and his batting form ever since the second and most recent one day international against England was played. At the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Rohit Sharma was found to be a bit scratchy up top in his role as opener and the kind of start that perhaps we has fans have grown accustomed of seeing of him wasn’t there to be found. He made 26 runs but took 47 deliveries in getting there and at the end, perhaps sensing that the accumulation of dot balls was getting to him, was out playing an aggressive stroke against Williams Jacks.

It also important to note that sensing it was a great pitch to bowl first up on, the England captain Harry Brook upon winning the toss put India into bat. And resultantly, it wasn’t a bad decision either. In fact, anything but. Despite a fluent start given to his side in which Gill himself made 31 off 30, the captain fell in the 8th over (7.4 overs), which was then followed by a brief partnership steadying act that majorly saw Virat Kohli do the bulk of the scoring.  

Kohli, in fact, was far more comfortable and at ease with himself and his strokeplay perhaps putting all that excellence and class into work as he made a fighting 65 off 66.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, perhaps appeared a bit rusty and was looking to get into the rhythm which he perhaps couldn’t find all that much. Yes, there was a wonderful six he hit off against pace but that was all too brief a reminder that he was in any sort of comfort.

Therefore, it could be argued that on the whole, a strike rate north of 55, which was the case with his inning at Cardiff, wasn’t exactly stuff of legends and not something that one would have expected.

The murmurs in the aftermath of the game now point to his rusty form and this being a great and tireless servant of Indian cricket who has against his name no fewer than 11,757 runs in this format of the game in 50 over cricket. There are also many others who remark that he is too good a player to feel pressure but only he knows what may be going on with him. At 39 years of age, perhaps we can cut the great right hander loved as the “Hitman” some slack, can’t we?

Having said the above, the current batting coach of India has exclaimed the following in regard to Rohit Sharma and the one last one dayer that is to be played at Lord’s on Sunday, which is the deciding contest of this ongoing three match series that currently sees the hosts England and the visiting India side tied 1-1:

“You might see a completely different innings from Rohit Sharma at Lord’s so, I wouldn’t use the word "struggling" - Maybe the shots he normally plays on the up because of the double bounce, he probably felt they were not comfortable!”