India faced West Indies in the first ODI at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, September 27, 2026. Rohit Sharma opened the innings for the home side and played a measured knock before falling to Alzarri Joseph in the 12th over.
He started with positive intent and helped India race to 70/0 in the first 10 overs. However, the 39-year-old failed to convert his start into a big score in the game, which India won by eight wickets.
Dinesh Karthik, however, urged the fans not to be too greedy and asserted that Rohit’s dismissal was a one-off thing that doesn’t need to be analysed too intensely. Rohit tried to whip Alzarri Joseph for a boundary, but all he managed was to miscue it to deep square leg.
“He batted well till he lasted; let’s not get too greedy now. One opener got a hundred, the No.3, the best in the world, got a hundred. Rohit Sharma batted really well; I mean, the shot he got out to, it is a shot that he plays really well,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“If I were with Rohit Sharma, I would tell him that you tried it 2-3 times; you did not connect at all. But it is Rohit Sharma. I know that he is kind of a guy who will be very sure of what he is doing on a cricket field,” he added.
Rohit received a reprieve in the sixth over when Alzarri Joseph dropped a catch, but could not capitalise on the opportunity.
Technical adjustments ahead for Rohit
Karthik identified specific technical areas that Rohit could address in his approach. The former batter suggested that small adjustments in footwork and weight distribution could help the opening batsman regain his form in the series.
“He will go look back on what he did; it could be something as simple as the weight going a touch too much on the off side, a small little technical thing. Once he gets that right, I am sure he will get going,” Karthik said.
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India went on to chase a 296-run target with consummate ease, as Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli scored majestic centuries.
