Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Source – Getty Images)
Struggles of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with the bat were unexpected for the Indian team. Their recent outings in the Bangladesh and New Zealand series have provided loads of fodder for the critics to vent out their critical opinions. It is worth noting that Rohit has got a 50+ score only once in last 10 innings and the same goes for Kohli too.
Against New Zealand, Rohit and Virat scored 91 runs and 93 runs in six innings respectively. After the dismal showings, former India pacer, Karsan Ghavri has stated that the star India batters should consider retirement from the longest format if they fail to score big runs.
“Definitely, 200 percent yes. They need to score big. If they don’t perform, it’s time for them to call a time on their Test careers. If they don’t perform in Australia, Virat and Rohit should retire. They have done a lot for Indian cricket, but the team needs runs to win. We need to build a team for the future. How long will we keep players who aren’t performing?” Ghavri told The Times of India.
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Bring in Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane: Ghavri
The Indian squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia was announced and the names of veteran batters, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were missing. Ghavri cited the slump in Kohli and Rohit’s form and argued over the exclusion of Pujara and Rahane. This will be first time India will play BGT without Pujara and Rahane since 2011-12.
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“If they perform, keep them; if not, why select them? If players are selected without performance, then bring in Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane. If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren’t scoring runs, then who will score? In a country like Australia, you need experienced players who can occupy the crease, stay longer, and put up big scores. To beat Australia in Australia, you need big totals on the board,” Ghavri added.