Former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has opined that there will always be questions regarding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s performance ahead of the ODI series against England. As the duo only plays ODI cricket, Nayar reckons they might get the feeling they are making their debuts in every series they play.

While Virat Kohli last played professional cricket in IPL 2026 whereas Rohit Sharma played for India in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Kohli scored 675 runs in IPL 2026 whereas Rohit amassed 283 runs in nine matches of the tournament.

Rohit also returned with scores of 16, 48 and 79 in three games against Afghanistan.

“I keep thinking about this, that when a player isn’t playing competitive cricket, there are advantages also to it because you come with a fresh mindset. No baggage. In every series, you feel as though you are playing your first series,” Abhishek Nayar said on Star Sports.

“It’s a very different feeling for someone who has played so much cricket, especially Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The question is always there when Virat and Rohit come – how will they perform, how will they deliver, because you can’t think about the previous series now,” he added.

Nayar highlighted that it would be interesting to note what will be Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s form when they take the field against England.

“The last thing that Virat has played is the IPL. It’s already been one-and-a-half months since then. So you have that time to think about it, reflect, and come back. So, in a lot of ways, there is excitement even from my point of view. How will Virat Kohli turn out? In what kind of form would he be in? The same thing with Rohit Sharma, although he recently played that ODI series,” he said.

The first ODI between England and India will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Tuesday.