India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that no one is putting any sort of pressure on Rohit Sharma amidst the looming retirement after the third ODI against England. Rohit hasn’t been at his best in the only format he plays in international cricket. In the last 8 fifty-over matches, he has managed 241 runs at an average of 30.1 and a strike rate of 88.6.

During the Cardiff ODI, the veteran batter struggled to time the ball and took 47 balls to post 26 before English all-rounder Will Jacks sent him back. According to the Indian Express, the former captain has been told that he is not in the scheme of things going forward, and it is up to him to take a call on his future. The selectors will not consider him for selection as they want to go ahead with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has shown his brilliance with the bat in limited opportunities so far.

The discussions were held between Rohit and the members of the selection panel in the presence of head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Rohit was unhappy as he wanted to continue, but the decision-makers refused to give him more time.

Kotak was asked about the new development and whether the team would look at Jaiswal or Ishan Kishan instead of Rohit in the near future. He said that there is no pressure on Rohit and the team management is not dwelling too much on his form with the bat.

“A big player like Rohit can’t be put under pressure. He is a good batter, and I don’t think it makes a big difference if he hasn’t scored runs in the first two ODIs of the series. He was aiming for a big knock in the second game, but it didn’t happen.

That’s okay,” Kotak told reporters.

Kotak defended Rohit for his slow batting in Cardiff and backed the batter to bounce back at Lord’s, the venue of the last ODI.

“I have seen and played a lot of cricket, and there are days when a batter doesn’t feel comfortable in the middle because he is not able to get the momentum he is looking for. It can happen with any batter. I am sure you will see a different Rohit Sharma at Lord’s,” he added.

“I don’t think he was struggling, but he was not comfortable because of the double bounce.

Virat and Shubman got good starts, but Rohit didn’t get the ball in his arc. Rohit is capable of doing things differently, but it was not his day, and it sometimes happens with the batters. I wouldn’t use the word struggling for Rohit,” he explained.

With England’s win, the series is levelled 1-1, with all to play for in the third game on July 19. All eyes would be on Rohit after the retirement stories.