Rohit, Virat unleash array of shots in nets ahead of 1st ODI against England

NAGPUR: Star India batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli unleashed an array of shots in nets as they prepared for the first ODI of a three-match series against England in Nagpur.

In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), two modern-day greats were seen sweating it out in the nets and displaying a variety of shots, including some fan favourites.

The 2024-25 season of Tests was miserable for ‘Ro-Ko’ (Rohit and Virat Kohli), who are India’s most prolific modern-day stars. While Rohit scored just 164 runs in eight matches and 15 innings at an average of 10.93 with best score of 52, Virat scored a shambolic 382 runs in 10 matches and 19 innings at an average of 22.87, with just a century and fifty each.

Rohit also scored just 3 and 28 on his return to the Ranji Trophy recently against Jammu and Kashmir. Virat also disappointed in his first Ranji match in 12 years against Railways, scoring just six runs before his stump was sent cartwheeling by Himanshu Sangwan.

Virat ended the last year with just 655 international runs in 23 matches and 32 innings, averaging 21.83, with a century and two fifties to his name. His best score was 100*.

On the other hand, Rohit did fine in white-ball cricket. He finished the 2024 calendar year as a T20 World Cup-winning captain, amassing 378 runs in 11 matches at an average of 42.00 and a strike rate of 160.16. His performances included a century and three half-centuries, with a top score of 121.

In the T20 World Cup, Rohit was the second-highest run-getter and India’s top scorer, accumulating 257 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.70, with three half-centuries.

Rohit played just three ODIs last year, all against Sri Lanka, scoring 157 runs at an average of 52.33 and an impressive strike rate of 141.44, including two half-centuries and a top score of 64.

Also, there is very little doubt about Virat’s greatness in ODIs. Since the 2023-start, he has made 1,435 runs in 30 ODIs at an average of 65.22, with six centuries and eight fifties. His best score is 166*. His strike rate is 98.42.

He top-scored during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup (both tournament and in all-time lists), with 765 runs in 11 matches at an average of 95.62, with three matches and six fifties, winning the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award. During the Sri Lanka ODIs last year, he could score just 58 runs in three innings, with best score of 24. (ANI)