India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak backed Rohit Sharma despite the opener’s poor returns in the ongoing ODI series against England, saying there is no pressure on a player of his stature and that he could produce a different innings in the series decider at Lord’s.Rohit’s struggles were visible in the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday, where England won by four wickets to level the three-match series 1-1. The opener never looked settled, scoring just 10 runs off 18 balls by the end of the Powerplay even as India raced to 61/1. He eventually made 26 off 47 balls before being dismissed while attempting a sweep against Will Jacks. Rohit has not enjoyed the best run in ODIs this year. In eight matches, he has managed only one half-century and is averaging 30.12. With speculation growing over whether the selectors could move on from the former India captain ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, Kotak was asked after the Cardiff defeat if Rohit’s place could come under scrutiny after Sunday’s final ODI.“I don’t think a player as big as Rohit can feel the pressure,” Kotak said after the match.“He’s too good a player to feel that. Yes he hasn’t scored in two games. I don’t think that makes any difference. But today also it looked like he’ll get a good innings but that’s okay [that he didn’t get a big score].”While Rohit found it difficult to get going, captain Shubman Gill made a quick start before falling for 31 off 30 balls. Virat Kohli also began positively, striking three boundaries in his first 11 deliveries as England’s bowlers struggled with their lengths early on a pitch that offered some variable bounce.ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma no more automatic selection after Lord’s ODIKotak rejected the suggestion that Rohit was struggling and said the opener could bounce back in the final ODI at Lord’s.“On a [given] day, there are a lot of batters I have seen, they don’t get that momentum what they are looking for, and that can happen,” Kotak said.“You might see [a] completely different innings from Rohit Sharma in Lord’s. I wouldn’t use the word struggling, but maybe the shots he normally plays on the up, which is because of the double bounce, probably he felt it was not comfortable.“Shubman got a quick start, then Virat got a quick start, but he [Rohit] probably didn’t get balls in his slot.“You could definitely see a completely different innings from a player like Rohit and I have seen that happening to a lot of batters. So it’s not just Rohit. I wouldn’t use the word he was struggling.”India looked set for a bigger total after reaching 178/3, with Kohli scoring 65 and Shreyas Iyer top-scoring with 66. However, the innings lost momentum after Kohli’s dismissal as India slipped 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 decider will be played at Lord’s on Sunday.
