[[{“value”:”
Mid-day.com looks at five India batters eager to regain form during the upcoming ODI series against England before the Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is going through a disastrous phase of his career, scoring just 164 runs in his last 17 Test innings. The Indian skipper will be eager to put the last three months behind him and regain form in the upcoming ODI series against England. Even in his Ranji return for Mumbai against Jammu & Kashmir, the right-handed batter managed only three and 28. To everyone’s surprise, the India opener has failed to cross 20 in his last 10 Test innings. However, he has been in top form in limited-overs cricket. He was India’s highest run-scorer during the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka and also finished as India’s top scorer in the T20 World Cup, smashing 257 runs in eight matches. Rohit will be desperate to forget his terrible Test run and get back to his explosive best before the ICC Champions Trophy.
Virat Kohli
Star batter Virat Kohli scored a century in the first Test against Australia in Perth last year but struggled in the next four matches, managing just 85 runs in seven innings at a disappointing average of 12.14. He also failed to make an impact for Delhi in their Ranji Trophy match against Railways, scoring just six runs. Even in limited-overs cricket, opening the innings, he failed to get starts in the T20 World Cup too, scoring just 75 runs in the first seven matches before playing a match-winning knock (76 off 59 balls) in the final against South Africa. He averaged just 19.33 in the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka in August. Kohli will be determined to silence his critics before the Champions Trophy.
Shubman Gill
A century in Punjab’s Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka must have come as a relief for the state skipper Shubman Gill, but he will be eager to regain form in international cricket before heading to the Champions Trophy. The top-order batter looked good in the warm-up match in Australia, scoring an unbeaten half-century in the pink-ball practice game against the PM’s XI. However, he failed to cross 31 in the three Test matches he played Down Under. A strong performance against a formidable England side would boost his confidence ahead of the marquee tournament.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant showed signs of returning to form with scores of 40 and 61 in the fifth and final Test in Australia. But he was dismissed for just one and 17 in his recent Ranji outing against Saurashtra. The wicketkeeper-batter, who managed only 154 in the first four Tests against Australia, will be eager to make a statement against England’s potent bowling attack. He will be desperate to rediscover his attacking touch which India will need the most in the Champions Trophy.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul was dropped for the last two Tests during the home series against New Zealand. However, he was added to the playing XI and was asked to open the innings in the absence of captain Rohit Sharma in Australia. He seized the opportunity with both hands scoring 26 and a match-winning 77 in Perth. However, in his next eight innings, he managed just one half-century and was dismissed for single-digit scores on three occasions. Rahul showed signs of improvement in his Ranji outing for Karnataka scoring 26 and 43 against Haryana. He now has an opportunity to prove a point by scoring big in ODIs against England.
(Photos: AFP)
“}]]
