New Delhi: When India take on Australia in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, not only will the World Test Championship (WTC) final be at stake but possibly the career of India’s two stalwarts – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. After losing the two-Test series at home to New Zealand, India lost their 12-year-long proud home record and the chance to strengthen their WTC final chances.
India might still be at the top of the WTC standings but the pair of losses against the Kiwis has dealt a major blow in their quest to reach a third successive summit clash in the ICC’s marquee Test tournament.
India now have to win four of the remaining six Tests to qualify for the final. Five of those will be played in Australia where India have found recent success but historically struggled.
India need Kohli, Virat to stand tall
To conquer the mighty Australians in their den, India will need Kohli and Virat to stand tall even after concerns surrounding the form of ageing stalwarts – who are approaching the end of the road.
Through three World Cup titles, two WTC finals, and a 12-year winning streak in Tests at home, Kohli and Rohit, have played a key role in every major Indian success of the last 17 years.
Both retired from T20 internationals after winning the World Cup in the Americas earlier this year to focus on ODI and red-ball cricket but their dismal form in Test cricket is a big headache ahead of Tour Down Under.
But before the focus turns to the Australia tour, India’s primary concern will be to avoid a humiliating whitewash against the Kiwis. The third Test, which begins, on Friday will be a great opportunity for both Kohli and Rohit to regain some form before they fly off to Australia.
Can Rohit, Virat arrest slide?
Rohit was integral in India’s first two series triumphs in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21 but ahead of his third trip his returns of six single-digit and just one fifty from his last eight Test innings paint a grim picture.
(Photo: PTI)
Meanwhile, Kohli, one of the modern-day greats, has scored just two centuries in the last five years and only two fifties in his last 12 innings in Test cricket.
(Photo: PTI)
Courtesy of the dismal slump, Kohli’s batting average has dropped to 48.31. Moreover, his struggles against left-arm spin – more evident when he fell to New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner in both innings of the second test – have been worrying to stay the least.
The inconsistent batting line-up of India has failed to fill in for the failures of Rohit and Kohli, largely evident from a dismal first-innings score of 46 in Bengaluru and a paltry 146 in Pune.
India enter the Mumbai Test with a slender lead over Australia in the WTC standings. A defeat at Wankhede would be a big blow to their WTC final hopes as they will face a tall order of winning four of the five test matches Down Under.
The next couple of months will also give a clear picture of the future of Kohli, 35, and Rohit, 37, in Test cricket.
