India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak helped Rohit Sharma though the opener did not come back well in the ongoing ODI series against England, saying that there is no pressure on a player of his stature and that he can produce different innings in the Lord’s tournament.Rohit’s struggles were evident in the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday, as England won by four wickets to level the three-match series 1-1. The opener was unsteady, scoring just 10 runs off 18 balls at the end of the Powerplay even as India raced to 61/1. He eventually made 26 off 47 balls before being dismissed while trying to sweep Will Jacks. Rohit has not enjoyed a good run in ODIs this year. In eight games, he averaged 30.12. With speculation growing whether the selectors could move on from the former India captain ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, Kotak was asked after the defeat by Cardiff if Rohit’s place could be looked at after the final ODI on Sunday.“I don’t think a great player like Rohit will feel pressure,” Kotak said after the match.“He’s too good a player to feel that way. Yes, he hasn’t scored in two games. I don’t think there’s any difference. But today it seems like he got a good innings but that’s fine. [that he didn’t get a big score].”When Rohit found it difficult to go, the captain Shubman Gill started quickly before falling for 31 off 30 balls. Virat Kohli he also got off to a good start, hitting three boundaries in his first 11 overs as the England batsmen struggled with their length early on.ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma was not selected automatically after Lord’s ODIKotak dismissed the idea that Rohit was struggling and said the opener could make a comeback in the final ODI at Lord’s.“He a [given] “On the day, there are many batsmen that I have seen, they don’t get what they expect, and that can happen,” Kotak said.“You can see [a] completely different innings with Rohit Sharma in Lord’s. I wouldn’t use the word ‘difficult’, but maybe the shot that he usually shoots up, because of the double hit, maybe he felt it was not good.“Shubman started fast, then Virat started fast, but he [Rohit] maybe he didn’t get the balls in his slot.“You can see a completely different innings from a batsman like Rohit and I have seen it happen with many batsmen. So it is not just Rohit. I can’t use the words he is struggling with.”India looked set to dominate after reaching 178/3, Kohli scoring 65 and Shreyas Iyer’s highest score was 66. However, the innings lost steam after Kohli’s dismissal as India slumped to 193/7 before finishing on 233.England chased down the target with four wickets in hand to level the three-match ODI series 1-1. The players will be played at Lord’s on Sunday.
