India captain Rohit Sharma looked in fantastic form with the bat as he began his preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy. Rohit, who had a horrible Test series in Australia, played some eye-catching shots in the nets.
He played traditional shots in the nets and barely looked in trouble. Rohit brought out the aggressive shots in no time and was not afraid to go all out to play lofted shots. The 37-year-old used the depth of the crease to perfection and looked at ease.
Notably, Rohit was practicing with the white ball and not the red ball, which made it clear that he was eyeing the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy. The Indian captain's form in the nets bodes well for the team ahead of an important tournament.
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Watch: Rohit Sharma shows big hitting skills in the nets
Rohit posted a video of his knock in the nets on his Instagram account. He was seen batting under the lights during the night, which is a clear indication that he is chasing the Champions Trophy.
Rohit Sharma is training with the Mumbai Ranji team
Earlier, Rohit Sharma also attended a practice session with the Ranji Trophy team in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. After a few tosses, he took on the Mumbai fast bowlers and spinners for 45 minutes in the nets.
While the BCCI has made it clear for centrally contracted players to play domestic cricket, it is not clear whether Rohit will play in Mumbai's match against Jammu & Kashmir starting on January 23 in Mumbai.
There has been mounting pressure on the Indian captain to play the Ranji Trophy to rediscover his red-ball form after a lackluster series in Australia. His last Ranji Trophy match was in 2015 against Uttar Pradesh when he was not even part of India's Test squad.
Rohit scored just 31 runs in three Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at an average of 6.20. Due to his poor form, he was forced to sit out the final Test in Sydney.
Rohit Sharma's recent ODI form
Despite his poor form, Rohit Sharma will lead India in the upcoming ODI series against England and Champions Trophy 2025. His red ball form has been a cause for concern but he was in superb form when he last played an ODI.
Rohit last played an ODI against Sri Lanka in August 2024. The 37-year-old became the leading run-scorer of the series with 157 runs in three ODIs at an average of 52.33 and a rate of strokes of 141.44.
In recent times, Rohit has changed his batting style in ODI cricket. He was more aggressive and looked to make full use of the powerplay restrictions instead of trying to play long innings.