Rohit fails again, Virat finds rhythm: Contrasting Ro-Ko fortunes in Cardiff ODI

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been India’s mainstays in ODI cricket for over a decade. But the second ODI against England in Cardiff painted contrasting pictures of the two veterans, with Kohli returning to form while Rohit’s struggles continued.

Kohli played a fluent 65 to steady India’s innings after early setbacks, while Rohit managed 26 off 47 balls before falling to Will Jacks to extend his disappointing start to the three-match series.

IND vs ENG, 2nd ODI: Update | Scorecard

The dismissal capped another frustrating outing for Rohit. England’s bowlers kept him under pressure from the start, drying up scoring opportunities and forcing him into an unusually cautious innings. His 26 came off 47 deliveries, making it the slowest ODI innings of his career between hitting 25 or more runs.

It was a far cry from the fearless batting that has defined Rohit’s success as one of the greatest ODI openers. Instead of dictating terms in the powerplay, he found himself tied down by disciplined bowling, struggled to rotate the strike and never looked composed at the crease.

The lack of fluency is getting harder to ignore. Rohit arrived in England after a respectable IPL 2026 campaign where he scored 283 runs in nine innings despite fitness concerns. He followed that up with scores of 48 and 79 in the ODI series against Afghanistan, suggesting he could still give India a solid start at the top.

Against England, however, it was a different story. In the first two ODIs, the former Indian captain failed to make his mark against a bowling attack that consistently denied him the freedom to play his natural game.

While Rohit struggled for rhythm, Kohli looked comfortable from the moment he reached the crease.

The former Indian skipper got off the mark with a straight drive by Jofra Archer before unleashing a series of authoritative boundaries. He raced Gus Atkinson through the covers, whipped him lightly over mid-on and cut past Adil Rashid’s point as England found it difficult to contain him once he settled.

Kohli hit his 78th ODI half-century, taking his tally of 50-plus scores in the format to 132. It was also his 14th fifty or more against England in ODIs, level with Sir Vivian Richards and only ahead of Kumar Sangakkara on the all-time list.

The innings had added significance as Kohli also became India’s highest run-scorer in international cricket in England. Kohli needed just four runs before the match to surpass Rahul Dravid’s total of 2645, moving to the top of the list with 2646 runs. Only Sir Vivian Richards, with 3402 runs, has scored more international runs for England among overseas batsmen.

Kohli’s innings ended on 65 when Archer induced a leading edge, with Adil Rashid completing the catch at deep third. Archer had earlier celebrated Kohli’s wicket, but television footage showed the ball bounced before reaching wicketkeeper Jose Buttler.

There was another milestone for the Indian senior duo as Rohit and Kohli crossed the 8000-run partnership across formats, becoming only the third Indian pair to reach the milestone.

Their stand helped India recover from early wickets but also highlighted the contrasting form of the team’s two senior batsmen. While Kohli looked assured throughout his stay at the crease, Rohit endured another innings in which timing and fluency eluded him.

As India continue their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, Kohli’s return to form offers encouragement. However, Rohit will be eager to rediscover his rhythm before the series ends.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

16 Jul 2026 20:28 IST