Rohit Sharma must counter Sam Curran smartly in Lord’s decider, says Abhishek Nayar

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes Rohit Sharma will make tactical adjustments against Sam Curran in the deciding ODI at Lord's. Nayar said Rohit's strike rate is not a concern, stressing that converting good starts into big scores remains the bigger challenge.

New Delhi: With the three-match ODI series between India and England locked at 1-1, former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has backed Rohit Sharma to make tactical adjustments against pace all-rounder Sam Curran in the series decider at Lord’s while insisting that the Indian captain’s strike rate is not a cause for concern.

Speaking ahead of the final ODI, Nayar analysed Rohit’s approach in English conditions, the challenge posed by Curran, and the importance of adapting to the demands of the surface rather than chasing scoring rates. He believes the contest between Rohit and Curran could once again shape the early phase of India’s innings after the left-arm seamer kept the opener under pressure in the previous match.

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“Rohit Sharma will 100 per cent have to come up with a plan to counter Sam Curran. In the first ODI, he stepped out and tried to attack him. In the last match, he played a maiden over against Curran, which is very unlike Rohit. So, you will see a tactical change. Maybe he will play deep in the crease or stand outside the off stump. In the last game, he was expecting the ball to come in, but it kept moving away.

“So, he will definitely have a strategy in place. I’m not sure if Sam Curran will trouble him with pace, seam, or swing. He will trouble him with consistency. The conditions are helping him a bit. But I think Lord’s will probably be a better pitch with shorter boundaries, so Rohit may find it easier to score,” Nayar told JioStar.

The former India support staff member also argued that batting in England requires players to first assess the surface before worrying about scoring quickly. According to him, the second ODI demanded patience because of the movement on offer for the seamers.

“Conditions are the most important thing. You have to respect them and in the second ODI, the ball was seaming and stopping, so batters had to take time. Rohit Sharma had to take responsibility, especially with Shubman Gill getting out early. There was a moment during Sam Curran’s over when Rohit felt pressure, but overall his tempo was fine. Joe Root scored at a strike rate of 65-67, which was the required rate on this pitch. Big shots were difficult because of the extra bounce from a good length. Openers need to provide stability and give the middle order time to score later,” he added.

While Rohit’s scoring rate has been under scrutiny during the series, Nayar maintained that the bigger issue lies elsewhere. He pointed to the captain’s inability to convert starts into substantial scores despite looking comfortable at the crease.

“I’m not too worried about the strike rate of Rohit, but I am concerned that when he reaches a score of 26 or 27, he usually converts it into a fifty. He doesn’t get out to off-spinners often, but he did in the last match. For me, it’s more about mindset than skill. But he is batting well, so I’m not concerned,” he stated.

India and England will face off at Lord’s for the deciding ODI on Sunday, with the visitors aiming to finish the tour on a winning note after the T20I series debacle.