Despite failing to perform well in the second ODI against England in Cardiff, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has dismissed criticism of Rohit Sharma’s form, stating that the former India captain is neither under pressure nor going through a slump.
India lost by four wickets on Thursday, and England was able to draw the series thanks to Rohit’s 26 off 47 balls. Rohit currently only plays in the ODI format.
The seasoned opener scored just 11 in the first ODI as well, but Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel’s half-centuries helped India win handily.
Kotak placed his support behind the captain as Rohit’s meager returns were bound to come under scrutiny.
“I don’t think a player of Rohit’s calibre will come under any kind of pressure. He’s too good a player to feel that,” PTI quoted Kotak as saying during the post-match press conference.
“Yes, he didn’t make runs in the two matches but I don’t think that makes any difference. Today also, it looked like he’ll probably get a good inning out. But that’s okay,” he replied when asked if someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ishan Kishan could get a look-in for the opener’s slot in ODIs after the series concludes.
“So, I wouldn’t use the word he was struggling but maybe the shots he normally plays on the up and all, which is because of the double bounce. Probably he felt it wasn’t comfortable.”
Kotak attributed Rohit’s poor results to his struggle to get through the early part of his innings rather than any underlying problem, stating that even the best hitters sometimes take time to find their groove.
“I’ve played lot of cricket and I’ve seen lot of cricket. On a day there are a lot of batters that I’ve seen they don’t get that momentum they’re looking for and that can happen. You might see a completely different innings from Rohit Sharma at Lord’s (third and final ODI of the series on Sunday),” he insisted.
Kotak cited the disparate innings of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli thus far in the series, stating that both batsmen gained confidence by surviving the early part of their innings. In contrast, Rohit was removed before he could settle in his innings.
“Shubman got a quick start in first ODI, Virat got a quick start but Rohit probably didn’t get that start (and) he didn’t get going. That’s what I felt. I’ve seen that happening to a lot of batters, not just Rohit, so I wouldn’t use the word he was struggling,” added Kotak.
He claimed that the two-paced pitch caused problems for the Indians batting first, but it calmed down in the second half and allowed Joe Root to play an unbeaten 99-run knock.
“I felt the fuller deliveries came on nicely to the bat, but the back-of-a-length balls were holding up a bit and bouncing slightly more in the first innings. In the second innings, though, they weren’t getting up as much,” explained Kotak.
However, he also insisted that India’s defeat was not due to a lack of partnerships.
“In the last match, there was a partnership. And even today, I think, overall, India were 178 for 3, when Virat was playing. Till then, the partnerships were good. I think, unfortunately, Washington (Sundar) got injured…and he obviously got out.
“After that, we lost two quick wickets (Axar Patel and Shivan Dube) and that made a difference. Had we scored 270-280, it would have been a really challenging score,” said Kotak.
“And then, in the second half, the wicket maybe got little slower, and Joe Root just stayed on the wicket. If we would have got Root out, it would have been interesting,” he said.
