Where is the killer? Rohit Sharma grows concerned over India’s ODI World Cup plans Cricket News
TimesofIndia.com in Cardiff: Rohit Sharma scored just 37 runs in two ODIs against England in Birmingham and Cardiff. Thursday’s 21-ball 11 at Edgbaston was followed by a 47-ball 26 at Sophia Gardens on Thursday. For a man who was once at the forefront of the attack, he has become a walking wicket-taker and a bowler’s dream thanks to his efforts. In two innings, he hit just two boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 54.41. Where is the “killer”?Of the 21 goals he faced at Edgbaston, 14 were penalties, accounting for 66.67%. Moving on to the second ODI, the pattern remains the same. Of the 47 balls, 28 were dot balls, or nearly 60%. Upon closer inspection, the tense nature of the game becomes clearer.The 39-year-old slowly moved his bat away from Jofra Archer’s delivery on the second ball at Edgbaston. It picked up the bat and flew toward the landslide. Two balls later, Archer left Rohit hesitating on whether to come in or leave, and the indecision resulted in the inside edge almost going past the stumps. In Archer’s next over, Rohit moved forward but was beaten outside off. The next ball beat him again, this time on the inside edge. One pitch later, the right-hander was cut in half. Josh Tongue also sent Rohit into a tailspin with a delivery of over 140 kmph.
India’s Rohit Sharma leaves the field after being caught by England’s Jos Buttler during the second ODI match between England and India at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP | PTI)
Although Natarajan’s shot came in the form of a boundary, the smoothness that Rohit once expected and that defined ‘Mumbai Charaja’ was still missing.Moves to Cardiff on Thursday.In Archer’s first over, Rohit was beaten on the inside edge after a front-foot jab. In the sixth over, Saqib Mahmood accidentally hit Rohit’s pads but his main flick failed to hit. In the 12th over, Gus Atkinson hit a short ball and Rohit, one of the best pull bowlers in the team, completely missed it. Two overs later, Rohit top-edged another short ball and luckily the ball fell safely between long leg and deep back leg.In the end, the dismissal summed up Rohit’s recent temper tantrum. With Will Jacks on the attack, Rohit got down on one knee and looked to sweep away his opponent. Instead, he headed the ball past goalkeeper Jos Buttler.
India’s Rohit Sharma leaves the field after being caught by England’s Jos Buttler during the second ODI match between England and India at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP | PTI)
It’s not just these two games. The former India captain looked uncomfortable even in the nets. Before the series started, he chose to face the gun specialist in the second Nets game and had to change the court after scoring because he had difficulty finding his timing. Later, he took it a step further and adopted an open-net approach, where the field was spread out in the form of a game simulation.On the eve of the first ODI, he arrived later than the other top-order batsmen and once again worked with the side-arm bowlers to get ready for the series.In the three ODIs against Afghanistan, Rohit scored 16, 48 and 79 points respectively, totaling 143 points with an average of 47.66 and a strike rate of 115.32. In the injury-plagued IPL 2026, the right-hander scored just 283 runs in 9 games at an average of 35.38 and a strike rate of 157.22.
Former India captain Rohit Sharma.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, despite scoring, is still waiting in the wings and Rohit’s poor form is a worrying sign for India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Granted, he is India’s highest run-scorer since the last ODI World Cup and his retirement from T20Is. But in fact, judging from his performance at the beginning of last year and this year, his score is behind captain Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli.Purely from body language, Rohit doesn’t inspire much confidence at the moment. The right-hander looked slow against the seamers, which could be a major factor in the ODI World Cup in South Africa. He’s injury-prone and seems to have almost no confidence in himself. Even on the court, he’s no longer the fastest.Rohit will be 40 when the ODI World Cup comes around and he will hope to join the likes of Chris Gayle, Brad Hogg, Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Tahir as the oldest players to participate. But if the current situation is anything to go by, he should not have taken the flight to South Africa.
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