Rohit Sharma:Ravi Shastri on Rohit Sharma: Former India coach Ravi Shastri thinks Virat Kohli still has three to four years left in his cricket career, but captain Rohit Sharma might need to reconsider his future after the current series against Australia due to his ongoing struggles with form and technique in the traditional format. India's senior batsmen Rohit and Kohli are under criticism for their poor performance during the ongoing five-Test series against Australia
Rohit Sharma: Rohit has managed only 31 runs in five innings with an average of 6.20, scoring 3, 6, 10, 3, and 9 runs, marking the lowest average for any foreign captain on Australian soil. Despite his century in the Perth Test, Kohli's performance has been inconsistent, with scores of 5, 100 not out, 7, 11, 3, 36, and 5 runs in the series so far.
Shastri told 'Star Sports', "I believe Virat will continue playing for a while. Forget how he's getting out, or any other issues, whatever they may be. I think he'll play for another three or four years." He added, "Regarding Rohit, he needs to make a decision. In the top order, I feel his footwork isn't what it used to be. He sometimes delays playing shots. So he needs to decide at the series' end." Shastri highlighted technical issues in Rohit's batting, particularly with his front foot movement. He said, "We've often seen in the series that his front foot isn't moving towards the ball as much as it should." Once again, Indian batting collapsed in the Boxing Day Test. Except for Yashasvi Jaiswal, no other batsman showed resilience against the Australian bowlers, leading to the team being bowled out for just 155 runs on the fifth day, Monday. India faced a crushing 184-run defeat and fell 1-2 behind in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
When India was at 112/3 during tea, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a steady half-century, and Rishabh Pant displayed remarkable composure. Chasing a target of 340, a draw seemed likely, especially after a wicketless second session. However, India lost their last seven wickets for 34 runs in the final session, leading to an 184-run defeat against Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.
In front of a record 74,362 fans, Australia moved towards victory after reducing India to 33/3 in the first session. But Jaiswal and Pant held them back in the second session as the old ball softened. However, Pant was dismissed by Travis Head in the final session of the thrilling Test match.
This paved the way for Australia to take the lead, as India was bowled out for 155 from 121/3. Captain Pat Cummins and Scott Boland bowled excellently for Australia, each taking three wickets, giving them a 2-1 lead in the five-match series ahead of the Sydney Test match next week.