What happened the last time India captain Rohit Sharma played an ODI in Nagpur?

Team India captain Rohit Sharma will play his first ODI of 2025 on Thursday (February 6) against England. The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur will host the opening game of the three-match series between the two nations.

Both teams will look to use these games to finalize their combinations for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which will commence on February 19 in Karachi, Pakistan. Unlike other teams, India will play all their matches in Dubai, as they have refused to travel to Pakistan, the official hosts of the Champions Trophy 2025.

Rohit Sharma's recent batting form has been under the scanner after his persistent failures in Tests over the past few months. He endured a lean run of form in the home and away Test series against New Zealand and Australia, respectively. He will be keen to return to form in the England series, with an eye on the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Rohit has a decent record at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, the host for the first ODI against the English side. The 37-year-old batter has scored 204 runs across three ODIs at an average of 68, including a century and a half-century at the venue.

Rohit Sharma last played an ODI in Nagpur in 2019 against Australia. It was the second match of a five-match bilateral ODI series between the two sides. After being asked to bat first, the hosts got off to a poor start as Rohit departed for a six-ball duck at the end of the first over of the match. Ace Australia pacer Pat Cummins troubled Sharma with the new ball and eventually dismissed him to give his side an early breakthrough.

After that, Virat Kohli (116) shouldered the responsibility of the batting department by scoring a fine century to help his side reach a decent total of 250. It proved to be sufficient as Indian bowlers bundled out Australia for 242 to win the game by eight runs.

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Rohit Sharma's recent record in ODI format ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Rohit Sharma led his side from the front with the bat in the 2023 ODI World Cup, giving them aggressive starts consistently and setting the tone. He scored 597 runs across 11 games in the tournament at an average of 54.27 and an impressive strike rate of 125. The Indian captain ended as the second-highest scorer of the World Cup behind his teammate Virat Kohli (765 runs).

Sharma played only three ODI games in 2024, all against Sri Lanka. While the rest of his teammates struggled in spin-friendly conditions of the island nation, Rohit scored 157 runs at an average of 52 and topped the run charts for the series across both teams. India lost the series 2-0.