Indian captain Rohit Sharma's rough patch continued ahead of the Champions Trophy next month as the Hitman was dismissed on a score of 2 runs in the first ODI against England. The series opener took place at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, but Rohit failed to deliver with the bat. Chasing a target of 249 runs, Rohit came out to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The Indian skipper was caught by Liam Livingstone after scoring 2 runs, as Saqib Mahmood picked a crucial wicket for the Three Lions. With his latest dismissal, Rohit's highest score in his past 10 innings dipped to 18 runs. In his past 16 innings since the beginning of the 2024-25 season, the 37-year-old has scored only 166 runs across formats. Rohit Sharma has averaged just 10.37 in his past 16 innings Since the half-century he scored against New Zealand in the second innings of the first Test, the Hitman's highest score was just 18 runs from the third Test. After the New Zealand series, Rohit Sharma scored 3 runs in the PM XI vs Indians fixture, followed by 3 6 in the second Test against Australia. He skipped the series opener owing the birth of his second child. In the third Test, Rohit could only 10 runs at Brisbane, followed by 3 9 at Melbourne. He rested himself from the series finale at the SCG, after which the opener played for Mumbai against Jammu Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 3 and 28 upon his return to domestic cricket. Rohit Sharma irked by reporter's question on form In the pre-match presser ahead of the first ODI, Rohit was irked by a reporter's question on his nickname 'Hitman', although he couldn't score too many runs in Test cricket. "What kind of question is that?. This is a different format, different time. As usual, as cricketers, we know there will be ups and downs. I have gone through it a lot. We know every day is a fresh day, every series is a fresh series. I am looking forward to challenge. Not looking at what has happened in the past. Clearly, you don't," the Indian captain hit back. He added, "For me, there is no reason to look in the past too much. It's important I focus on what's coming up and what lies ahead for me. I will look to start the series on a high."Original Article