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Another Rohit Sharma: Why Indian opener bats more cautiously now | Cricket News – The Tech Word News

January 17, 2026
Soon after India were beaten by England in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup T20, Rohit Sharma acknowledged that India’s white-ball batting template was almost obsolete. Soon there was a marked shift in the way India constructed the innings in both T20Is and ODIs. Results followed, with Rohit himself setting the tone by taking risks and going after the word bowling. On many occasions over the last 18 months, Rohit has talked about taking the onus to lead the way for the rest of the team.This altered approach heralded an ultra-aggressive brand of batting that boosted India’s performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy last year. However, a markedly different Rohit was seen after Shubman Gill replaced him as the ODI captain. The fearlessness in his batting gave way to more conservative beginnings. The dot percentage in his first 20-30 balls is around 80. The team is getting off to a more leisurely start, a clear departure from what happened in the Champions Trophy.

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Over the past six months, Rohit has played down concerns about his ability to last until the ODI World Cup in 2027. At 39, he has realized that he needs to shed over 10kg to keep pace with fitness standards. But he appears to have traded that for a more reserved approach to his bat. He also doesn’t mind not getting off the mark in 10 balls, as he did in the second ODI against New Zealand in Rajkot recently. He tests the patience of bowlers and waits for them to come to him rather than go behind them and develop them forward under pressure.“I don’t think it’s a conscious approach. He hasn’t been as fluid as usual (Rohit only plays in the ODI format now). It will be a challenge for him not to play cricket between series,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said, highlighting the selectors’ and team management’s primary concerns about Rohit and Kohrati’s other veteran in the squad, Virat Kohli. Unlike Kohli, Rohit took more time to hit his stride and his big performances usually came in the later half of the series. Rohit’s numbers in the last three series are not much different from the period between 2023-2025. He still averages over 50, although the strike rate may have dipped a bit, but not to alarming levels. He draws from every bit of his experience of playing nearly 300 ODIs.Doeschate further explained what may dictate Rohit’s new approach. “I thought both innings (in the first two ODIs against New Zealand) were pitches that weren’t easy to bat on. He’s such a brutal player, but at the end of the day he’s actually a touch player. So once the pitches aren’t very good, it’s going to be difficult for him to look in a fluid mode like he usually does. It’s a bit of a difficult combination, which is definitely not that difficult. and maybe I just miss the cricket a little bit leading into the series,” he said.The new regulation of playing one softer ball after 34 overs has fueled discussions about whether teams need to go harder against two hard balls earlier in the innings. The team is also trying to create opportunities for Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gill is also not known for quick starts. It remains to be seen whether the management will hold discussions with Rohit or decide to adjust the game plans around how he bats.

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