The barren run of skipper Rohit Sharma and the selection conundrum that Virat Kohli's possible return poses are the towering obstacles in India's quest for a series win against England in the second ODI here on Sunday
Updated on : 08 February,2025 02:26 PM IST | Compiled by : Srijanee Majumdar
Vice-captain Shubman Gill had indicated that Kohli could be back for the second match, which will be played at a venue where the latter made a match-winning 85 against the West Indies in 2019. Kohli had also travelled to Cuttack along with his teammates and he looked relaxed. The Indian team will certainly welcome that sign, but it also raises a challenge in terms of selection
Shreyas Iyer, who came in for Kohli at the last minute by his own admission, made a rollicking 36-ball 59 that has made dropping him an almost unthinkable act. If the past norms are followed, then Kohli will walk in for Shreyas, but it is more likely that Yashasvi Jaiswal could be the one who will have to make for the batting icon. It means that Gill might rejoin Rohit at the top, and Jaiswal did not have a blazing match either at Nagpur.
It remains to be seen how the team think tank led by Gautam Gambhir, which has shown a penchant for left-right combination, navigates this situation. Combination questions apart, Kohli too is in need of runs, and he will need a good outing here if he indeed makes a return.
Kohli's form has been under scrutiny in recent months, especially after his struggles in Australia, where he repeatedly nicked deliveries to the slip cordon or wicketkeeper. His last competitive outing, for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, too was a low-yielding one, managing just six before getting bowled by Railways pacer Himanshu Sangwan.
One-day cricket is Kohli's staple format, and the 36-year-old needs just 94 runs to become the third batter to reach 14,000 runs in the format after Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14,234). Having played 283 ODI innings, Kohli can also become the fastest to this milestone ahead of Tendulkar (350 innings) and Sangakkara (378).
Rohit's struggles continued as he perished for just two in the first ODI, failing to shake off the disastrous run in the Test series against Australia. His dismissal -- a mis-timed lofted shot off Liam Livingstone that ballooned to midwicket -- reflected his desperation for runs
The Mumbai man has not scored a fifty in any format since August last year when he made 64 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in the third match. If Rohit fails to get going in these two ODIs against England, it could raise deeper concerns about his form and future.
(With PTI inputs)
