As the Rohit Sharma led Indian squad locked horns with England for the first ODI Match of the series in Nagpur, Indian Cricket Fans hoped that their skipper would find his rhythm for the first time against England but all they could get was despair. But returning to his favorite format, Rohit was expected to silence his critics with a big knock, but instead, he only managed 2 off 7 deliveries, another reminder of his alarming decline. What was once his biggest strength, his effortless stroke play, has now become the cause of his downfall.
Chasing 249, Rohit was seen trying to play a flick off his pads during the early overs of the powerplay to Saqib Mahmood but got it up straight into the hands of Liam Livingstone. A stunned silence followed in the stands, as fans who were already reeling from Virat Kohli’s absence due to a knee injury now had to witness another early dismissal from their captain. Kohli’s injury has raised serious concerns, but Rohit’s lack of form has led to an even bigger crisis.
Rohit Sharma’s Poor Stats in Last 16 Innings Cause Turmoil on Social Media; Fans Call for Retirement
Rohit has scored 166 runs in 16 innings across all formats in 2024/25 at a pathetic average of 10.37, with scores of 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8, 18, 11, 3, 6, 10, 3, 9, and now 2. For a batsman of his class, these figures are simply shocking. With only a few matches left before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the skipper’s lack of form is the last thing Team India needed. But for fans, patience has run out. As soon as Rohit was dismissed, the social media was flooded with calls for Rohit’s immediate retirement, as his repeated failures have become a cause for national concern.
On the other hand, talking about India’s star batter, Virat Kohli, too, hasn’t been at his best, though his struggles seem far less concerning compared to Rohit’s. Though he scored a century in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli has largely struggled in international cricket in 2024. In ODIs, his 2024 record reads 58 runs in three matches at an average of 19.33, a massive drop from his record-breaking 765-run campaign in the 2023 World Cup.
With India relying on their veteran players to spearhead the attack in the forthcoming Champions Trophy 2025, it is an ominous sign if Rohit and Kohli cannot get going.
