England beat India by four wickets in the second ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, chasing down a target of 234 with Joe Root anchoring the innings on an unbeaten 99. Earlier in the day, India had been bowled out for 233, with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer scoring 65 and 66 respectively to hold the innings together.
Despite those contributions from Kohli and Iyer, it was Rohit Sharma’s struggles that left fans disappointed. The former India captain managed just 26 off 47 balls, extending a rough run that’s now stretched across the series.
Following which, there have been concerns related to Rohitโs future in the format. Several reports claimed that the ongoing tour could be his last dance in international cricket, with the player announcing his retirement after the Lordโs ODI.
In the meantime, commentator Ravi Shastri repeatedly brought up Rohit’s legacy as both captain and batter during the broadcast. He noted that the media and press box were buzzing with the news and also highlighted Rohitโs impact in the 50-over format.ย
โIt’s buzzing in the media box, in the press box. Just came from there and you don’t know how much it’s true, whether it’s a rumour. The fact is, they’ve had a word with him. He’s had a word with them, and he’s pushing 40,โ Shastri said during the 31st over of England’s innings.
โThat’s been one of the great giants of the white ball game. Three double hundreds. Just made batting look easy. India missed out on winning the ODI World Cup. He’s got the record for the most hundreds in the World Cup. Five of them in the UK in the 2019 edition,โ he added.
Rohitโs decline in form
Reports about Rohitโs retirement do not take away the fact that the former Indian skipper has been a legend in white-ball cricket. Between January 2023 and the Champions Trophy, Rohit was among the most destructive openers in world cricket. Across 36 innings, he plundered 1,146 runs from 935 balls at an average of 67.41, striking at a blistering 122.57 with a powerplay boundary percentage of 20.9.
However, the picture dramatically changed since October 2025, after the former skipper lost his captaincy. In 13 innings, the Mumbai batter scored 267 runs from 310 balls, a return that reflects both reduced output and a sharply slower tempo at the top of the order for India. His strike rate has collapsed from 122.57 to just 86.13, a fall of more than 36 runs per hundred balls.
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