Team India's poor performance in the recently concluded five-match Test series against Australia seems to have opened a Pandora's box. The poor performance on the field has put the focus firmly on two of Indian cricket's biggest stars – the captain Rohit Sharma And his predecessor, Virat Kohli.
Not long ago, both the veteran batsmen were the toast of the nation after playing a key role in India's win in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. However, they have now found themselves in the firing line after India's recent performance in the Tests.
India suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at home to New Zealand. This was their first consecutive home defeat since 2012/13. A 3-1 loss to Australia followed as India lost a series to the team Down Under for the first time since 2014/15.
In both series, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to achieve success. The India captain scored just 91 runs against New Zealand while Kohli scored 93 runs. Against Australia, Rohit Sharma scored just 31 runs in three Tests while Kohli scored 190 runs in 5 Tests. Of those 190 runs, Kohli scored 100 in one innings.
Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry official on the situation of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli:
There have been calls from several quarters to drop both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the Test squad and start fresh. With India failing to qualify for the WTC final, many believe the team should now move on from its senior batsmen.
According to reports, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry is scheduled to hold its first discussion on this issue next Sunday, at the special general meeting. While only time will tell how things will develop in the coming days, a former BCCI official has advised new Board Secretary Devajit Saikia to sort out the mess.
The current situation has made the BCCI look weak and the board should send a strong message, the official said. He also said that no player is bigger than the game while subtly hinting that both Rohit and Kohli should be left out.
“The message is going very badly. People can be nice pawns on the internet but BCCI should be running cricket in the country and should also be seen running it. Now there is a need to give such a strong message that no player should think “His self is bigger than the game,” the official told Dainik Jagran.
“Now there is a need to select a new team. The selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar is from BCCI and the new secretary should contact him and send a stern message as well,” he added.
While the Test futures of Rohit and Kohli look uncertain, they are likely to be part of the Indian squad for next month's Champions Trophy. Both players have performed well in white-ball cricket and will look to live up to expectations in the Champions Trophy as well.
The grand event is scheduled to take place from February 19. Team India is in Group A alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. The top two teams from the two groups qualify for the semi-finals.
