'If he struggles in ODIs...': Gautam Gambhir warned of Rohit Sharma 'problem' if runs dry up in 'best format'

Rohit Sharma endured a tough outing in the first ODI of the series against England.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma endured a poor outing in the first ODI of the series against England earlier this week. Rohit, who made his return to the format after five months, was dismissed for just 2 in the 249-run chase, although India eventually clinched a four-wicket victory.

India's captain Rohit Sharma returns to pavilion after being dismissed by England's Saqib Mahmood during the first One Day International (ODI)(PTI)

Rohit has been going through a rough patch for quite some time; he had a forgettable Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where Rohit could only score 31 runs in five innings. The Indian captain sidelined himself from the final Test of the series in Sydney after a series of poor outings.

With a change in format, it was expected that Rohit would find his footing; however, his first outing in the ODIs this year didn't go as planned. And according to former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, it would become problematic if Rohit's struggles are prolonged in the fifty-over format, too.

Manjrekar, in a chat with ESPNCricinfo, stated that ODIs are the “best format” for any batter.

“Yes, he will be disappointed with the way he got out. Clearly, there's pressure. And, if he struggles to get runs in fifty-over cricket, and to get a big score, then you have a problem,” Manjrekar said.

“Because I maintain that it is the best format for any batter, if you are batting in the top-3, to get runs and come back to form. And if we don't get to see the best of Rohit Sharma in the Champions Trophy, then there's a problem.”

India return to action on Sunday

The Rohit Sharma-led side will return to action on Sunday for the second ODI of the series in Cuttack. Even as Rohit will look to get back to form, eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who was forced to miss the opening match of the series due to a knee injury.

Moreover, it would be interesting to see who Kohli would replace in the XI, if fit. After India's first ODI victory, Shreyas Iyer had surprisingly revealed that he was asked to replace Kohli in the XI, indicating that he wasn't in the original XI, which sparked a significant debate on social media platforms.