"2 things have changed" - Aakash Chopra on what's gone wrong with Rohit Sharma ahead of IND vs ENG 2025 2nd ODI

Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that Rohit Sharma's recent lean run with the bat is worrisome for the entire country. He attributed the Indian skipper's struggles to a couple of interlinked changes in his game.

The second ODI of the ongoing three-match series between India and England will be played in Cuttack on Sunday, February 9. Rohit managed only two runs off seven deliveries in the series opener in Nagpur three days ago.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener opined that two factors have contributed to Rohit's recent underwhelming performances.

"What's gone wrong with Rohit Sharma? The entire country is worried now because it's been time. He was India's highest scorer in the three-match series against Sri Lanka. He was absolutely outstanding. He was batting very well. He was in form and everything was fine," he said (7:45).

"After that, there has been a nosedive. You remember a second-innings knock in Bengaluru and a short knock in Kanpur, but he hasn't scored runs apart from that. One thing has changed. Actually, two things have changed, and both are interlinked," Chopra added.

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the Indian opener has looked to improve his scoring rate drastically in the last two years or so and has resultantly not played too many substantial knocks.

"Before the 2023 World Cup, his strike rate used to be around 90. Now it has gone close to 120. He used to score a lot of centuries then, the conversion of fifties into hundreds was very good, but after that, a lot of fifties but only two centuries," Chopra observed.

Rohit Sharma amassed 10031 runs at a strike rate of 90.26 in his first 242 ODI innings. He has smashed 837 runs at a strike rate of 128.97 in his last 16 innings in the longer white-ball format.

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"The impact point got changed" - Aakash Chopra on the technical change in Rohit Sharma's game

Rohit Sharma has especially struggled in Test cricket lately. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rohit Sharma is playing too far away from the body, and that is contributing to his leading-edge dismissals.

"He started to meet the ball far away from his body because if you have to hit in the air, you have to meet the ball slightly far. So, the impact point got changed, and because of that, he has started getting a lot of leading edges," he said (8:40).

The analyst added that the 37-year-old is not getting the requisite control and power in his batting because of his altered technique.

"When the bat goes far, the other side of that is the more the object starts going away from you, the more your control reduces. The closer you keep it to yourself, the more control you will have. The more a heavy object like a hammer in your hand moves away from your body, the lesser will be your power and control. Your hand will start shaking," Chopra elaborated.

While expecting a good pitch in Cuttack, Aakash Chopra noted that it will be another litmus test for Rohit Sharma. He added that Team India need their captain to regain his form.