Is it time for Rohit and Virat to retire from Tests
By Prakhar Sachdeo
Clamours for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to retire from Tests have grown louder following India’s defeat at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
India, who won their last two Test series in Australia, went 2-1 down in the ongoing series after their shocking 184-run defeat at the MCG. Australia now only need a draw in Sydney to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who also is the team’s opener, has just one fifty and 10 single-digit scores in his last 15 Test innings, and even a move down the order failed to pay dividends for the 37-year-old.
Former skipper Virat Kohli, one of the greats of the modern game, has not fared much better. The 36-year-old struck a century in the opening test in Perth but had a wretched season overall with nine single-digit scores in 17 innings this test season.
The duo already announced their retirement from T20Is earlier this year. They walked away from T20Is soon after helping India win the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
“Is it time to take a call on seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli?” the Hindustan Times newspaper asked on its front page after the defeat in Melbourne, where India lost seven wickets after tea on day five.
“Is it time to take a call on seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli?” the Hindustan Times newspaper asked on its front page after the defeat in Melbourne, where India lost seven wickets after tea on day five.
The Times of India called for an immediate changing of the guard, saying the senior batters were “in danger of being termed as liabilities”.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said another failure in Sydney could prompt Rohit to quit Test cricket. Former India coach Ravi Shastri also believes Rohit Sharma may need to assess his future after the ongoing series against Australia.