NEWS
Follow UsIndia endured a humiliation that no one saw coming, with a 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand. Two players who suffered the most during the series were none other than India’s senior duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While Kohli repeatedly got out to spin, Rohit created an unwanted record of getting out most times to pace in the series.
Rohit’s average of 15.16 against New Zealand definitely has warranted multiple reactions from all corners, including former selector Krish Srikkanth, who stated that Rohit might retire from the longest format if he doesn’t do well in Australia.
The 37-year-old has already retired from the shortest format, but he’s still an active cricketer in both the Test and ODI formats. But even that now might be a case of when given his underwhelming returns over the last few months.
"100 percent, you have to start thinking ahead [if India doesn't do well in Australia]. If Rohit Sharma doesn't do well, I think he himself will retire from Test cricket, for all you know. He will play ODIs only. He has already left T20I cricket. We have to keep in mind that he is also ageing. He is no longer getting younger," Srikkanth said in his YouTube show.
“Choice of shots from Rohit was pathetic. Are you playing T20 cricket or what? The way Rohit batted in the second innings of the Mumbai Test, he was overconfident. Once or twice, you will be able to connect it, but that’s all.”
In the post-match presentation, Rohit also admitted that his own ‘form’ with the bat and decisions as a captain weren’t up to the mark. Srikkanth lauded Rohit, stating that he had the ‘guts’ to admit his mistakes.
"At least Rohit Sharma had the guts. Hats off to Rohit Sharma for accepting the fact that he played badly throughout the series and captained badly. That's a great thing. That's the first move of a player to get back to the rhythm. Accepting your fault is very important. That's a very important quality of a human being. He accepted it openly, and that means he is on the road to recovery, that's my opinion," he said.
Kohli’s game against spin has fallen off a cliff, with the right-hander averaging 28.29 against spin in Tests at home since 2020. Not just that, this year, Kohli’s average against spin further drops to 23.3 at home, showing there’s a clear vulnerability.
“I’m surprised. Something is bothering Virat Kohli. Everyone’s a Kohli fan. I feel that he’s caught in two minds, wanting to attack and defend. He’s very doubtful. He’s low on confidence, I don’t know why he should be low on confidence, he’s ‘King of Kings’. Kohli is a very good caller. I don’t think we have seen him involved in a lot of run-outs, but I have no clue what has happened in this tour.
“Virat has a lot of time, one bad series, one or two bad years, that’s all.”
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here.
