The start of the new year has been extremely disappointing for Team India. New Zealand won their first ODI series in India in 37 years. Rohit Sharma’s poor form was a topic of discussion throughout the three-match series. Even in the series-deciding match on Sunday, Rohit failed to score a big innings. His bat remained silent throughout the series.
Rohit Sharma retirement speculations
After scoring 26 and 24 runs in the first two matches, he returned to the pavilion after scoring just 11 runs in the third match. Thus, Rohit Sharma retired from the format without scoring a half-century before the five-month long ODI break. As a result, speculation about the Hitman’s retirement has intensified on social media. Rohit started the innings with a superb cover drive off Kyle Jamieson.
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But as Jamieson changed his line and stopped bowling outside off, Rohit struggled to score and lost his rhythm. Rohit scored a total of 61 runs in the three matches, averaging 20.33 and striking at a strike rate of 76.25. This marked a sharp contrast to his previous international tour, where he scored 146 runs in three matches against South Africa.
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Many fans on social media are questioning whether this was Rohit Sharma’s last ODI match. Now that Rohit is playing only one format, questions are being raised about his fitness and appetite to play until the 2027 ODI World Cup.
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However, after the series, captain Shubman Gill defended Rohit Sharma. He said that everyone knows how experienced he is. No player can score runs in every match. He is in good form, but he just hasn’t been able to convert his innings. But he will be back in form soon. India’s next ODI tour will be against England in July. It is expected that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will once again take the field for the Indian team.
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In the third ODI played in Indore on Sunday, New Zealand, batting first, set India a target of 338 runs, thanks to a brilliant century from Daryl Mitchell. However, in response, the Indian top order collapsed. Kohli did score a brilliant century, but he could not lead the team to victory, and the Indian team lost by 41 runs. Thus, New Zealand won the series 2-1.
