"Fluidity was not there" — Varun Aaron on Rohit Sharma's scratchy knock against England

Varun Aaron, a former India fast bowler now working as a cricket commentator, has given a candid assessment of Rohit Sharma's batting performance in India's second ODI against England at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday, July 16. Rohit was dismissed for 26 off 47 balls after top-edging a sweep off Will Jacks to Jos Buttler. The opener remained unsettled throughout his innings, extending his struggle for rhythm in the series.

In eight matches this year, the 39-year-old has scored 241 runs at an average of 30.12 and a strike rate of 88.60. In 13 ODI chases since the start of 2025, Rohit has scored 625 runs at an average of 52.08. However, while batting first in the same time frame, his numbers have been abysmal. In nine matches while batting first, he has scored 266 runs at an average of 29.55.

Aaron mentioned that Rohit had looked off-colour during the ODI tour of Australia last year but bounced back to form in the final ODI in Sydney, where he scored a century.

"The fluidity was definitely not seen. When any player plays just one format for their country, a slight scratchiness is seen. It was seen in Australia as well, but at the end of the day, Rohit played a terrific knock at the SCG. So he has one more chance at Lord's. You can never count him out. He can generate that one knock which will make everybody feel like Rohit Sharma has never left the building at all," Varun Aaron said on Star Sports' show - 'Follow the Blues'.

Aaron further analysed how the manner of dismissal revealed Rohit's struggle for timing and fluency. Rohit played out a maiden in Sam Curran's first over and looked tentative against the off-spin of Will Jacks before attempting an ill-fated sweep.

"However, today (Thursday), he was a bit scratchy. Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill were very fluent in the same conditions. So he would have wanted to get it along, especially that one over of Sam Curran, where again the left-arm seamer comes in. He must be thinking about his previous dismissal," Aaron observed.

Rohit played Sam Curran for a maiden in the 17th over, and in the following over, bowled by Will Jacks, the former India captain faced three dot balls before going for an expansive stroke that led to his downfall.

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted how Rohit's inability to convert starts had become a recurring concern. The Nagpur-born tried to give himself some time in the middle to get accustomed to the conditions but the failure to rotate strike intensified the pressure on him.

"Was very circumspect, and then when Will Jacks comes on, another three dots. Nine dots in a row, and then he tries to play a sweep, gets the cue end of the bat, and gets out. He would be quite disappointed with his performance," Aaron noted.

India travel to Lord's on Sunday for the third and final ODI of the series with the match locked at 1-1. The decider will determine whether Rohit can reclaim his touch or face the mounting pressure on his international future.