Rohit Sharma has been out of form in ODIs in 2026. Image Credits: AP
It’s a tricky phase for Rohit Sharma. He can do everything to his capabilities, and doubts will still linger around his age and fitness.
That runs haven’t come consistently this year seem to have forced the selectors to take the tough call. Whether Rohit retires is an entirely different topic, but the talk about his future is understandable.
Rohit Sharma’s shaky ODI run
The painful innings in Cardiff was an ideal representation of what the selectors fear ahead of the 2027 World Cup. Rohit Sharma was scratchy throughout his stay, with the two-paced bounce off the length exacerbating his issues.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma’s Retirement Confirmed After England ODIs, Out Of 2027 World Cup
This whole year has been how he has looked far from settled at the top, even when the decks have been slightly better to bat on. In 2026, Rohit has 241 runs at an average of 30.12 and a strike rate of 88.60 in eight innings, including a solitary fifty.
In 6 of those eight outings, the Indian opener has failed to get past the 30-run mark, and four of his dismissals have come inside the first 10 overs. Two of his reasonably decent scores - 48 & 79 - came against a slightly weak Afghanistan bowling attack on decks that were also nice for batting in Lucknow and Chennai.
All other openers in the same matches involving Rohit collectively averaged 39.76 and struck at 101.21 in these eight ODIs. They hit a boundary every 6.49 balls compared to his 7.35.
Rohit Sharma has been below par than other openers in the same match
Rohit has the lowest average among all Indian batters with at least five outings this year. This, despite playing all the games at home before flying to England.
This regression comes right after an encouraging run in 2025, where Rohit Sharma was consistently among the runs and found ways to contribute even in the most challenging conditions. He averaged a whopping 50 and struck at 100.46 in 14 innings, with four fifties and two centuries, last year.
The slow starts
Since Rohit Sharma was relieved of captaincy duties last year, he has reverted to his traditional approach in the format. He doesn’t take as many risks in the powerplay anymore, something he did during his own tenure, and looks to play long innings.
That has meant his scratchy stays have been more clearly visible early in the innings. In the first 10 overs, Rohit has a strike rate of just 84.45 since the Australia tour last year.
He takes around 6.69 balls for every boundary and plays 67.66% dot balls in this period. The same strike rate was 122.56, while the balls-per-boundary ratio and dot balls were 4.79 and 58%, respectively, between 2023 and the Australia tour last year.
Rohit Sharma has slowed his approach in the powerplay
In the first 15 balls, Rohit’s strike rate has been just 65.81 and dot balls have climbed to 73.5% since playing as a non-captain. Between 2024 and the Australia tour, this strike rate was 140.88 in the first 15 deliveries, with dot balls being just 51.09%.
This shows a clear shift in approach, as Rohit wants to revert to his beast mode, when he used to play big knocks. However, this approach has not helped him enough, as he ends up putting too much pressure on himself.
This also means that Rohit Sharma doesn’t give himself a chance to succeed on tricky decks, such as the one in Cardiff. His gung-ho approach helped him put the pressure back on the opponent and score on tricky surfaces, such as the one against New Zealand in Dharamshala in the 2023 World Cup.
Should Rohit be omitted from ODI plans?
The thing is that Rohit Sharma doesn’t have age on his side, which matters a lot with the World Cup in mind. These numbers would have been justified at any other stage of his career, given the sheer quality he brings to the table.
The same happened with Shikhar Dhawan in 2022, when Shubman Gill was absolutely waiting for a spot and took it just in time. Dhawan looked as scratchy back then as Rohit has been looking these days.
India have two ageing players in the top order, which can backfire at any stage. Then, Rohit has had fitness issues lately, including his dodgy hamstring that has troubled him multiple times now.
Hence, the selectors want to break that ageing pair and get a fresh face like Yashasvi Jaiswal, who brings superior abilities and has scored runs at every possible chance. In fact, he hit a century in his latest ODI outing and was still removed from the England tour.
Jaiswal also gives them an LHB option, something that India have been trying to have in that all-RHB top five. If he plays, KL Rahul will get to bat in his preferred spot at No.5 and will get to face more overs in the second half of the innings.
Jaiswal has a superior pace game and can replicate what Rohit did in 2023. The southpaw can act as an aggressor in the powerplay, allowing Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli to play their natural games and bat in different gears should the situation demand.
India have realised how ageing players can lose their form on the big stage, similar to how MS Dhoni looked scratchy in 2019 and don’t want to take that risk again. Rohit has worked on his fitness, but his hamstring issues and slowing reflexes come to the fore time and again.
It’s a difficult time for everyone involved. Rohit has done everything in his power to keep the door open, and these two knocks don’t suggest anything, but the selectors have their reasons to look beyond him.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma’s Childhood Coach Reacts To His Retirement
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