Indian captain Rohit Sharma faced a challenging performance in the first ODI of the series against England earlier this week. Making his return to the format after a five-month hiatus, Rohit was dismissed for a mere 2 runs during the 249-run chase, although India ultimately secured a four-wicket victory.

Rohit has been experiencing a difficult phase for an extended period; his performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was particularly disappointing, as he managed to score only 31 runs across five innings. Following a series of underwhelming performances, he opted out of the final Test of the series in Sydney.

With the shift to a different format, there were expectations that Rohit would regain his form; however, his initial appearance in ODIs this year did not meet those expectations. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar expressed concerns that prolonged struggles in the fifty-over format could pose significant issues for Rohit.

In a discussion with ESPNCricinfo, Manjrekar emphasized that ODIs represent the “best format” for any batter.

“Indeed, he will be disheartened by the manner of his dismissal. It is evident that there is pressure. If he continues to find it difficult to score runs in fifty-over cricket and fails to achieve substantial scores, then it becomes a concern,” Manjrekar remarked.

“I firmly believe that this format is the most conducive for any top-order batter to regain form. If we do not witness the best of Rohit Sharma during the Champions Trophy, it will indicate a problem.”

India return to action on Sunday

India is set to return to the field on Sunday for the second ODI of the series in Cuttack. As Rohit aims to rediscover his form, attention will also be on Virat Kohli, who missed the opening match due to a knee injury.

Additionally, it will be intriguing to see which player Kohli will replace in the playing XI, should he be fit to play. Following India's victory in the first ODI, Shreyas Iyer unexpectedly disclosed that he was asked to step in for Kohli, suggesting that he was not part of the original lineup, which ignited considerable discussion on social media.

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