Rohit’s extra-cautious approach got him a much-needed fifty, but also exposed his insecurity under Gill and Gambhir

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were under immense pressure to score big in the second ODI against Australia in Adelaide after getting dismissed cheaply inside the powerplay in India’s tour opener in Perth four days earlier.

Kohli, who used to score centuries for fun at one point and considered Australia his favourite hunting ground, let his fans down yet again after getting dismissed for a second consecutive duck – this time lasting just four deliveries. Rohit, however, was back among the runs as he brought up a half-century – his second in his last three outings for the Men in Blue as well as his 59th overall in One-Day Internationals.

Scorecard doesn’t tell the full story of Rohit’s struggle

A glance at the scorecard would tell you that Rohit has silenced his critics for now after top-scoring for the visitors with a 97-ball 73. The same certainly cannot be said of Kohli, who finds his future with the Indian team increasingly uncertain despite being one of the country’s greatest cricketers of all time.

A scorecard, however, doesn’t always tell the full story, for those who witnessed Rohit bat on Thursday – either at the Adelaide Oval or on their television sets or smartphones and other devices – would know that the former India captain wasn’t his usual ‘Hitman’ self on.

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After all, there wasn’t much of a difference between Rohit’s knocks in Perth and Adelaide purely when taking the powerplay into account. He was batting on 8 off 28 deliveries at the end of six overs, at which point the Men in Blue had collected just 17 runs with Josh Hazlewood once again making life difficult for the Indian top-order.

Despite not losing a wicket in the first six overs, India were under immense pressure. And recently-appointed ODI captain Shubman Gill decided to take it upon himself to try and give India’s powerplay scoring rate a much-needed boost, only to get caught by his Australian counterpart Mitchell Marsh at mid off as a result.

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Gill had been strangled down the leg side in Nathan Ellis’ first delivery of the day in the series opener in Perth on Sunday. Four days later, however, it was evident that Rohit’s slow approach forced him to take a risk, which resulted in his early dismissal for the second time in as many outings.

Kohli departed just four balls later, with India getting reduced to 17/2 in seven overs following a double wicket-maiden for Bartlett. For a moment it appeared as if India would be restricted to a total under 150 for the second consecutive time, this time without the interference of rain.

An uncomfortable sight for ‘Hitman’ fans

The ‘Hitman’ would eventually rescue the visitors with his 118-run stand for the third wicket along with vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who also bounced back with a half-century after getting dismissed cheaply in Perth. However, it wasn’t until the 19th over that Rohit finally broke the shackles by smashing seam-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Owen for a couple of sixes in a space of three deliveries – going for his favourite pull on both occasions.

Until then, the batting icon was clearly struggling at the centre in what was an uncomfortable sight to watch for millions of Rohit’s fans back home and across the world, and for Indian cricket supporters in general. From false shots and streaky boundaries to a couple of close shaves, Rohit once again appeared a shadow of his former self until those two sixes turned the tide in India’s favour.

Never seen Rohit sharma got beaten or struggled so much but this half century should give him much needed confidence.

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 23, 2025

Rohit certainly ranks among the greatest white-ball batters of all time. He has not one but three ODI double hundreds – a feat that was unheard of until the legendary Sachin Tendulkar finally breached the barrier in February 2010. And on Thursday, he went past ex-captain Sourav Ganguly to become the third-highest run-scorer in ODIs for India.

And while he has had mixed fortunes in Tests and T20Is in recent years, Rohit remained a force to be reckoned with in ODIs all this while – finishing as the second-highest run scorer in the 2023 ICC World Cup with 597 runs and also starring in the ICC Champions Trophy triumph with a match-winning 76 in the final in March.

Rohit facing pressure from Gill and Gambhir?

It was, however, a vastly different Rohit that was batting on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval, where the Men in Blue conceded the ODI series with a narrow two-wicket loss after posting 264 on the board. The hallmark of his recent success in ODIs was his explosive batting in the powerplay that got India off to flying starts more often than not and helped lay the foundation for strong totals or successful chases.

That was anything but the case in the second one-dayer, and the fact that Rohit brought up his slowest ODI half-century in a decade (74 balls) might have more to do with his mindset on the day than the disciplined bowling by the Aussies.

This Rohit, after all, appears one that is under a world of pressure and is dealing with a world of insecurities now that Gill and Gambhir are in charge of the Indian ODI side as well. And collecting seven fours and two sixes en route to bringing up his half-century doesn’t mask that fact.

I believe we must hold our thoughts on Rohit and Virat till the end of the series.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 23, 2025

Rohit had made the opening spot his own ever since MS Dhoni had promoted him to the top of the order along with Shikhar Dhawan in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. And he would remain at that spot all this time even as Dhawan gradually faded away after the 2019 World Cup in England, with Gill eventually becoming Rohit’s long-term opening partner after his meteoric rise.

The first two matches of Rohit and Kohli’s comeback series in Australia, however, has made it clear that axe is well and truly hanging over their head, and the only way they can realise their dream of signing off in style by helping India win the 2027 ICC World Cup in South Africa is through performances and performances alone.