I wouldn’t say Rohit is struggling: Batting coach
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has dismissed criticism of Rohit Sharma’s form, insisting that the former India captain is neither under pressure nor enduring a slump despite his failure to come good in the second ODI against England here.
Rohit, who now plays only the ODI format, managed 26 off 47 balls on Thursday as India went down by four wickets, allowing England to level the series.
In the opening ODI too, the veteran opener had failed to make an impact, scoring just 11, though India cruised to victory thanks to half-centuries from Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel.
With Rohit’s modest returns inevitably coming under scrutiny, Kotak threw his weight behind the skipper.
“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,” said Kotak 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 said even the best batters can take time to find their rhythm, attributing Rohit’s modest returns to his inability to get through the early phase of his innings rather than any deeper issue.
“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 pointed to the contrasting innings of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in the series so far, saying both batters benefited from getting through the early phase of their knocks, which allowed them to build confidence.
Rohit, by comparison, was dismissed before he could settle into 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 said that the pitch was two-paced, which troubled the Indians batting first, though it settled down in the second half and helped Joe Root play a match-winning unbeaten 99.
“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.
But he also maintained that lack of partnerships was not the reason for India’s loss.
“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.
