Speculation that India captain Rohit Sharma and batting stalwart Virat Kohli are set to call time on their Test careers has snowballed as the veteran pair continue to struggle in the five-Test series in Australia.
India, who won their last two Test tours in Australia, went 2-1 down in the series after their stunning defeat in Melbourne on Monday, with the hosts needing only a draw in Sydney to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
Opener Rohit 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. Under his captaincy, India have lost five Tests this season, equalling their unwanted record from 1999-2000 under Sachin Tendulkar. 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.
Both New Zealand and Australia have exploited his vulnerability to left-arm spin and outside the off-stump line, rendering him a walking wicket at times.
“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.
That sentiment was echoed among fans in the cricket-mad country where Rohit and Kohli are practically worshipped, with the term “happy retirement” trending on Monday.
Both players quit Twenty20 Internationals immediately after guiding India to their second 20-overs World Cup title in June.
“Is the Rohit-Kohli retirement announcement round the corner?” asked the Indian Express.
“The curtain is beginning to slide down from above; will they give themselves one more Test at Sydney with BGT still open and out there for the taking or ...?”
The Times of India called for an immediate changing of the guard, saying the senior batters were “in danger of being termed as liabilities”.
The Melbourne defeat not only dented India’s chances of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it effectively ended their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final for the third time in a row.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said another failure in Sydney could prompt Rohit to quit Test cricket and that India should draft in new faces for their England tour next year.
“The next cycle of the World Test Championship will be the cycle for 2027. You should see new faces for that,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
Australia optimistic on Starc fitness for final India Test: Australia coach Andrew McDonald said he was optimistic on Tuesday that pace spearhead Mitchell Starc will be fit for the decisive fifth Test while also backing misfiring Mitch Marsh.
Victory in the final Tetst would guarantee Australia a place in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s against South Africa.
Left-armer Starc bowled 41 overs in Melbourne but clearly struggled in the latter stages, reportedly with sore ribs.
McDonald said selectors would wait to see how he is before making any calls.
“We’ll see how the bodies are. Clearly Starcy’s carrying something of some description. We’ll assess that,” he said.
“But other than that it looks as though we got through.
“But short turnaround, recovery is important and we’ll assess what the team looks like in Sydney based upon the surface, as we always do.”
McDonald said though it was a good indicator that Starc kept bowling in Melbourne.
“It didn’t stop him. Clearly there was a little bit of discomfort early on in spells but once he got warm, it seemed as though he was pretty free. Ball speeds are good.”
Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott are the other fast bowlers in the squad, with skipper Pat Cummins and Scott Boland certain to play again.
All-rounder Marsh’s position is under scrutiny after a poor series so far.
He has failed to fire with the bat and sent down just 16 wicketless overs across the last three Tests after a back problem in the opening match at Perth.
McDonald dismissed concerns that he was still not fully fit, but admitted Marsh was under-performing. “I think people have probably been reading too much into that (sore back),” McDonald said. “We haven’t required him with the ball as often as what we would have thought.
Agencies