It is wild that two veteran bowlers made more runs than the duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
The Indian cricket team, especially the Test side, is experiencing tumultuous times under head coach Gautam Gambhir's regime. Not to mention, two veteran Indian players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are being asked to retire from Test cricket due to their horrendous batting performances. Though Virat Kohli at least scored one century in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), Sharma showed no sign of improvement in all five games.
In fact, as the series ended, the duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli registered an embarrassing feat as two veteran Australian bowlers outclassed them with the willow. By the end of the series, they had more runs combined than the total runs of Kohli and Sharma.
Despite his poor form, Kohli ended the series as the ninth-highest run-getter with 190 runs in five matches and nine innings. He scored one hundred, and his average was 23.75, with an average strike rate of 47.97.
Compared to him, Rohit Sharma had an abysmal outing in Australia, as he managed only 31 runs. Indeed, he did not appear in two Test matches and played only three games and five innings. However, given his form, we do not believe his numbers would've been better had he played two games more.
His average was a disastrous 6.20, and his strike rate was 28.18.
Together, the duo of Ro-Ko only scored 221 runs in the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025.
IRFAN PATHAN 🗣️ VIRAT KOHLI is getting out repeatedly due to the same mistake, and he's not trying to fix that technical flaw. If Sunny Sir were here on the field, how long would it take to talk to a great player and ask, "Sir, how can I fix this?"
— FREE HIT (@FREEHIT06) January 5, 2025
pic.twitter.com/xNWRKLVez1
Since the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup final, Australia's 31-year-old captain, Patrick James Cummins, has always found a way to embarrass the Indian side and its players. He obviously had a great tournament, getting 25 wickets and finishing as the second-highest wicket-getter after Jasprit Bumrah.
However, he also had a decent time with the bat, scoring 159 runs in five matches and eight innings. His highest was a 49-run knock, and his average stood at 19.87, whereas he maintained a strike rate of 63.34.
Captain Pat Cummins at MCG: He scored 49 runs in the first innings and 41 in the second. He also took 3 wickets in each innings. What a performance! 👏 pic.twitter.com/fW6zj7ezwV
— Simal (@SimalAli92) December 30, 2024
On the other hand, another veteran bowler, Mitchell Starc, also picked up 18 wickets throughout the series. With the bat, he scored 97 runs across five games and eight innings at an average of 13.85 and a strike rate of 39.27.
In fact, Starc finished as the 15th-highest run-getter of the series, whereas Cummins secured 11th rank (two ranks short of Kohli's 9th) despite both being bowlers.
From pundits to commentators to fans, everybody believes that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli must play in the Ranji Trophy or other Test series at the domestic level so that they can escape the quick-paced mentality of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
So many tweets on when will Rohit and Kohli retire from red ball cricket. Retirement is a players choice.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 5, 2025
Frankly the question should be asked of Ajit Agarkar and his committee.
On current form, Rohit isn’t there, and Virat doesn’t merit a place. Will they drop Virat?
If…
On the other hand, a huge section of fans has urged Rohit and Virat to retire, but it seems they are unlikely to do so on their own. The final and difficult call will be made by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.
