Ahead of the decisive match of the India-England ODI series, Team India's bowling coach has explained the reason for Rohit Sharma's inability to score runs and has expressed full confidence in him.
Lord's | The deciding match of the ODI series between India and England will be played on Sunday at the historic Lord's ground. In this crucial encounter, all eyes will be on Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who has so far failed to play a big innings in this series.
Rohit's bat has been quiet in the first two matches, leading to various speculations about his form.
Rohit Sharma scored 11 runs in the first ODI of the series, while in the second match, he was out for just 26 runs. In total, he has scored only 37 runs in two matches. His record at Lord's has not been particularly special either. In the 2 ODI matches played here, he has scored only 15 runs, including being out for a duck once.
Before the match, Team India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has defended Rohit Sharma. Expressing full confidence in him, he said that the experienced opener has the full ability to overcome his poor form and the team has no concerns about his form.
Following Rohit's poor performance, speculations also began to arise that he might retire from the ODI format after the match at Lord's. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devjit Saikia, has outrightly dismissed these reports.
Saikia clarified on Friday that Rohit Sharma remains an important part of Team India's plans and there has been no discussion about his retirement.
In a media interaction before the decisive match at Lord's, Morne Morkel revealed the main reason for Rohit's inability to score runs. He said that the difficult conditions in England have created problems for the top-order batsmen.
Morkel said, "As I said before, facing the new ball is a difficult task. We have seen throughout the series that the ball is swinging. So, it's not easy to bat at the beginning. There is no doubt that Rohit will find a solution to this."
The former South African fast bowler added that Rohit's vast experience and calm demeanor make him a very important member of India's batting line-up. He said, "He has done it before. Rohit is experienced. There is no worry or concern about the way he is playing."
Notably, Rohit is one of India's finest ODI batsmen and has scored more than 11,700 runs in this format. He played a key role in India's journey to the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 and also helped the team win the Champions Trophy 2025 title.
Currently, the three-match ODI series between India and England is tied at 1-1. As such, both teams will be looking to win the final match to clinch the series.
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