India vs England, 1st ODI: Following the 4-0 T20I series defeat to England, Team India will be hoping that a change in format brings upon a reversal in fortunes, especially with the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli joining the squad. With Rohit among the players set to boost the Indian team for the 50-over series against England, beginning on July 14 at Edgbaston in Birmingham, his interesting net session went viral on July 13, Monday. The question is why did the veteran batter bat in the open nets?
India vs England, 1st ODI: Why did Rohit Sharma opt for open nets ahead of the series-opener against England?
According to RevSportz, the 39-year-old opted for open nets to play his strokes freely. With the nets open, the elegant right-handed also had around five fielders and the strategy behind it was to bisect the fielders, as he would need to do in the match. The former Indian captain did appear to bat comfortably and played some sumptuous shots throughout the net session.
Along with Rohit, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul have also begun their practice match as the tourists hope to take an early initiative in the series-opener.
Rohit Sharma practicing separately in the open nets yesterday.🔥
The Hitman show is coming.💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/JZ6WmJazqi
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) July 13, 2026
India vs England, 1st ODI: What is Rohit Sharma’s 50-over record on English soil?
Having featured in 27 ODIs in England, Rohit has an outstanding record. In 27 50-over matches on English soil, the veteran has accumulated 1428 runs at 64.91 with seven hundreds. His five out of seven hundreds in England came amid his tally of 648 runs during the 2019 World Cup as he became the leading run-getter of the tournament. The other two came against England at the Trent Bridge in 2018 and against Bangladesh at Edgbaston in 2017.
His recent form has been slightly topsey-turvey as he blew hot and cold in the home ODI series against New Zealand, South Africa and Afghanistan after winning the Player of the Series award Down Under last year. Nevertheless, Rohit will need to produce big scores to retain his chances of playing in the 50-over World Cup next year.
