Rohit Sharma being defensive and refraining from taking chances against spinners — that too, inexperienced ones — is almost like a cat staying away from fish.

That has been the story though for the India captain so far in the Test series against England, which is locked 1-1 with the third Test beginning in Rajkot next Thursday.

Rohit averages only 22.50 in his four innings so far with 39 in the second innings of the Hyderabad Test being his highest score. But more than the numbers, it’s Rohit’s approach which appears to be a bigger concern for Team India.

Rohit did have his share of struggles against Nathan Lyon or even a Jack Leach to a certain extent. But a rookie debutant — Shoaib Bashir in the second Test in Visakhapatnam — who hasn’t even played enough first-class games, kept Rohit quiet and eventually got him out. That is not something many would expect.

Even in the second innings of the series opener, Rohit had gone into a shell before misreading a straighter one from Tom Hartley, who too is equally inexperienced. Thereafter, he looked at sea when James Anderson moved the ball in and out last Sunday in Visakhapatnam, before losing his off-stump.

But why is Rohit looking so subdued? “There are phases in a cricketer’s career where ups and downs happen. At some point in time, a player tries to restrain himself too much due to lack of form, captaincy and several other reasons going through his mind, which bar him from playing freely.

“For some, it may work if they just grind, grind and grind. But that may not work for Rohit as he likes to dominate bowlers,” former India opener WV Raman told The Telegraph on Thursday.

“If he focuses on the approach he has played with all along, he should be fine.”

Matters off the field, including those not connected to Team India, have also added to Rohit’s distraction. The conditions in Rajkot, however, should make Rohit feel a tad easier. The hard black-soil pitch there tends to assist batters much more.

Besides, alongside KL Rahul, who’s most likely to return, Ravindra Jadeja may also join the squad in Rajkot, a source in the National Cricket Academy said.

“Mentally, Rohit maybe wasn’t in the best place as only (Jasprit) Bumrah and he were the two most experienced players in the first two games. Probably that worry imposed kind of a restraint on him, adding to the pressure, more so as this is a really good England side,” former India keeper-batter Deep Dasgupta, who will be commentating in the third and fourth Tests, said from London.

“In Rajkot, he could be going in with a fresher mind following the short break. And if he can somehow get in a few quick boundaries, it can help to set the tone as he’ll feel much easier then.”