Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are going through one of the worst times of their cricket career currently. Both the players are in torrid form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia which has become a huge cause of concern for India. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been scrutinized and their place in the team is also being questioned.
Former cricketer Balwinder Sandhu is the latest to jump into the topic and has taken a dig at India’s selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar. Balwinder Sandhu called for tough selection policies and wants them to decide a player’s future. He stood for the need for robust selection policies and claimed that someone has to make a final decision on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s current form and their performances in BGT 2024-25
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma tallied 93 and 91 runs, respectively, in the three Tests against New Zealand, which India lost 0-3 – their first whitewash on home soil after decades. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma faced plenty of flak for letting the Indian batting down, which crumbled against spin – losing nearly 40 wickets against Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips. Losing at home just before a series as high-profile against Australia is never good news.
Rohit Sharma managed to score just 91 runs in three matches in IND vs NZ series, scoring just one-half century in his last six innings. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, scored 93 runs in three Tests. The duo did not have a good series against Bangladesh either, forcing some critics to recommend that they return to the domestic circuit in order to prepare well for Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Virat Kohli, in particular, has no reason to worry as he enters a territory and faces a team against which he’s tasted plenty of success. In 13 Tests in Australia, Virat Kohli has amassed 1352 runs at an impressive average of 54.08. This includes the unforgettable 20-14/15 tour when Virat Kohli pummelled 697 runs with four centuries – twin hundreds in Adelaide.
Four years later, Virat Kohli led India to their maiden Test series win in Australia. In 2020-21, Virat Kohli had to leave the tour after the Adelaide Test due to the birth of his first child, all the more reason for him to be fiercely motivated and perform well.
In contrast, Rohit Sharma has an underwhelming record against the Aussies – just 708 runs from 12 Tests – but there is no better time to turn things around. Heading into BGT, India have two additional things to take care of – the fact that they are on the cusp of becoming the only team to register a hat-trick of series wins in Australia and that a place in the final of the World Test Championship is still up for grabs.
While India have constantly backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, they will feel that the time is running out quickly for them. Both the players haven’t enjoyed the greatest of times recently, especially in Test cricket.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a poor home Test season which involved matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Virat Kohli scored 192 runs in five Tests at an average of 21.33 while Rohit scored just 133 runs in five Tests at an average of 13.10.
Virat Kohli recently slammed a brilliant hundred in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth. However, he failed again in both the innings of Adelaide. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has played just one match in the ongoing series but looked awfully out of form.
India greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going through a massive slump in Test cricket. Kohli did manage to score a hundred in the first Test against Australia in Perth, but he hasn’t matched the standards he set in the first half of his career for a very long time. For Rohit Sharma, the concerns are greater as the Indian captain has looked a pale shadow of his own. With so much talent waiting in the wing, questions are now being raised if the two veterans deserve a place in the team.
There are calls from a section of the cricket fraternity to move on from the Ro-Ko pair and promote the deserving next generation of Indian cricketers. Citing the examples of Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, they want no special treatment to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, calling for performance to be the only criteria to play in team India.
Former Indian pacer Balwinder Sandhu questioned contributions of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as a main reason for India’s failure in BGT 2024-25.
Former pacer Balwinder Sandhu’s blunt take on Indian seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in BGT 2024-25
Former Indian pacer Balwinder Sandhu slammed senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for their dismal showing in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia. India suffered a 1-3 series defeat in the five-match affair, conceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014/15.
Skipper Rohit Sharma endured a series to forget, scoring only 31 runs at an average of 6.20 in the three matches he played. Kohli’s numbers were enhanced by an unbeaten century in the series opener in Perth – India’s lone win of the tour. Yet, he finished with under 200 runs at an average of 23.75 in nine innings.
Talking about the duo’s unfathomable struggles, Sandhu told The Times of India:
“There were a lot of expectations from these two senior players – Rohit and Virat. Because they have played in these conditions a lot of times and know everything how to play in Australia, it was a disappointing performance by them. Their 50 percent contribution would have been enough to take India to win.”
He added:
“I agree about inexperienced players who were getting out cheaply but I don’t understand why it happened with the experienced players. We could have done better if Virat and Rohit would have performed. Everyone needed to lift their game up. You are playing for India.”
The duo was coming off another sub-par showing in the home series against New Zealand before the tour Down Under. Rohit and Kohli each averaged under 16 with only two half-centuries between them in 12 combined innings.
Balwinder Sandhu felt Jasprit Bumrah must have been in significant pain during the final Test at Sydney, resulting in him not taking part in India’s second innings with the ball.
The 31-year-old bowled only 10 overs in the first innings before walking off the field with an injury. While he batted in India’s second innings, a back spasm prevented Bumrah from bowling during Australia’s run-chase of 162, which they comfortably completed in 27 overs with six wickets in hand.
“If Bumrah was even 1 percent fit, he would have definitely bowled. I could see it on his face when he was in the dugout. He’s a typical khadoos cricketer, and he can get under any batter’s skin. I’m sure he must have been in significant pain; otherwise, he would have come out to bowl. But the Australians would have had a tough time if he was there. We could have won the match,” said Sandhu.
Despite the 1-3 loss and Bumrah’s inability to bowl much in the series finale, he finished as the Player of the Series for his incredible numbers of 32 wickets at a average of 13.06.