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Team India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma has been going through a poor run of form off late, averaging below 11 in his last 16 innings. The 37-year-old, who managed to get only 31 runs across three Test matches in the BGT 2024-25, continued his dismal run of form in the white-ball format as he scored just two runs off seven deliveries in the first ODI in Nagpur against England.
Seeing him fail to get going with the bat, Team India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak recently defended Rohit, citing it not to be a cause of concern. Addressing the pre-match press conference ahead of second ODI, Sitanshu Kotak added that Rohit Sharma’s batting was no problem and has scored some runs in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which was the last India played before taking on England this year.
Don’t think there’s any problem: Sitanshu Kotak on Rohit Sharma’s lean patch with the bat
Speaking at the pre-match presser in Cuttack, Sitanshu Kotak when asked of Rohit Sharma’s form, replied, "I personally don’t think there’s any problem.” “In the last three one-dayers Rohit has played, he scored 56, 64, and 35. So, nearly averaging 50-plus in those last three one-dayers. I mean, we are talking about a player who has 31 ODI hundreds. And when they are (scoring in) back-to-back matches, when they keep scoring runs, nobody asks, when will he fail?” Kotak added.
The 53-year-old also added that the critics have been reading too much about Rohit Sharma, citing how he was sensation in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, where he nearly scored 600 runs. “I think when sometimes somebody gets out or has a little bit of a lean patch, I don’t think I would be worried or would be thinking about their form,” said Kotak.
“Yes, Australia Tests, if you are saying, yes, that was a tough time and the guys got out, that’s fine. But about the one-dayers, the way he batted in the last three one-dayers before the first match (in this series), he has always been scoring runs. So, not really much concerned about that,” Kotak concluded. However, it has to be seen if Rohit Sharma will get back to his previous best with only two matches to go ahead of the the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.
