India's one day international at Edgbaston turned into a nightmare start for the top order, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the team's two most experienced batters, were both back in the pavilion inside the space of just seven deliveries. After a T20 series in which fans hoped to see the duo return to their vintage best in the fifty-over format, the picture at Edgbaston looked completely different, and the disappointment was visible on the faces of the fans inside the stadium.
A dismissal pattern rarely seen from India's senior batters
Rohit Sharma faced 21 balls but could manage only 11 runs before he was dismissed, while Virat Kohli lasted just 6 balls before walking back to the pavilion. The manner of both dismissals was unusual, the kind that is not commonly seen from batters of their stature. The team needed Rohit to give India a solid start at the top and needed Kohli to anchor one end while others played around him. Instead, both left the middle of the innings exposed, and with both wickets falling inside seven balls of each other, the mood among the fans watching live changed instantly from anticipation to disappointment.
Rohit Sharma's changed approach raises the biggest question
Over the last few years, Rohit Sharma's biggest calling card as a batter has been his aggressive intent in the powerplay overs. During the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, he repeatedly put opposition bowlers under pressure from the very first over. Even on difficult pitches during that period, his fast scoring often laid the foundation for India's wins. But the Rohit seen now does not look like the same batter. In the first ODI against England, he again faced 21 balls but scored only 11 runs. His hesitation while playing his shots was clear, and he never looked like he was in rhythm. He was eventually dismissed by Sam Curran.
The numbers confirm the slide
The statistics tell the same story as the eye test. Between January 2023 and the 2025 Champions Trophy, Rohit's strike rate in the powerplay overs of ODIs stood at 122.56. Since October 2025, that same strike rate has fallen to 86.12. In the same period, his average has also dropped, from 67.41 down to 44.50.
Kohli's brief stay tells a slightly different story
Virat Kohli's situation looked a little different from Rohit's. He had not played the ODI series against Afghanistan after the IPL 2026 season, which meant this was his first competitive innings in a long gap. The delivery from Jofra Archer that got him out was the kind of ball that Kohli has hit for countless boundaries over the course of his career, but this time he simply could not read it correctly. A six ball innings is not enough to fairly judge any batter, but a slight lack of sharpness in his timing and footwork was visible during that brief stay at the crease.
What comes next for India's senior duo
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cannot be judged on the basis of a single innings. Both have staged strong comebacks after poor starts many times in their careers, but the innings at Edgbaston has certainly left behind a few questions that everyone will be watching closely in the matches to come. Will Rohit go back to his old aggressive style? Will Kohli find his rhythm again? The answers to these questions will only come in the next few matches. For now, one thing is certain, the kind of start India expected from its two most experienced batters did not materialise at Edgbaston, and all their fans will be hoping for a strong comeback from both of them in the remaining two matches of the series.
