Australia vs India, 4th Test: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to deliver when the team needed their senior pros to dig in for a draw in Melbourne. Do they deserve more leeway? Should Rohit continue as captain for the series finale in Sydney?
In Short
· Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have struggled in Australia Tests
· Captain Rohit has failed both with the bat and as a tactician
· India lost the Melbourne Test to concede the series lead to Australia
“Naye ladke hai, seekhenge (they are inexperienced, they will learn),” Rohit Sharma remarked during his press conference, lamenting the inability of younger players to convert their starts into substantial contributions in India’s unsuccessful attempt to salvage a draw in the Melbourne Test. AUS vs IND, 4TH TEST: FULL SCORECARD
The captain appeared to criticise the younger players following India’s failure to survive the final day’s play in the blockbuster Boxing Day Test.
However, it’s not difficult to pinpoint what held India back in the fourth chapter of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy — it wasn’t the ‘naye ladke,’ but the veterans
Are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma overstaying their welcome in the Test team? How long will we keep hearing the oft-repeated refrain: “Retirement is a personal call?”
Does anyone within the Indian cricket team’s setup have the authority to tell Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli that their time is up? Can the head coach or selectors take the bold call of dropping them in Sydney? Some established senior players in the past, including Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane — the heroes of India’s last Test series triumph in Australia — were told their services were no longer required when their form dipped
When India needed to bat out 90-odd overs on Day 5 of a fiercely contested Test in Melbourne, their senior players failed. When the team needed them the most, Rohit managed just 9 runs, and Virat Kohli fell for 3. Both played avoidable shots, given the conditions and the match situation. India folded for 155 after battling for 79.1 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal batted for nearly 40 of those overs, and Rishabh Pant for almost 20, before playing a rash shot that “frustrated” captain Rohit.
To his credit, Rohit didn’t entirely shift the blame onto the younger players. He acknowledged the dip in form and captaincy, but refrained from commenting on his Test future.
It was widely speculated that Rohit Sharma would follow R Ashwin into Test retirement. However, the Indian captain appeared determined to hold on to his spot, hinting he would play in the final Test of the series in Sydney.
The external criticism is growing louder, and it no longer feels irrelevant or exaggerated. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven’t been justifying the extended opportunities they’ve been granted.
The pressure on Rohit Sharma has been mounting ever since India’s proud 12-year home Test series dominance came to a crushing end in November with a 0–3 loss to New Zealand. With the bat, Rohit has lacked the conviction that underpinned his late bloom as a Test opener. In his last six Tests, he has scored only 123 runs.
Things haven’t improved for Rohit in Australia. It’s often said that Test cricket in Australia makes or breaks cricketers. Unfortunately, Rohit’s legacy as a Test cricketer is disintegrating in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
While Virat Kohli is haunted by familiar concerns, Rohit Sharma has appeared clueless at the crease. With the bat, he has managed just 31 runs in three Tests. On the field, his tactical acumen has been poor, failing to seize critical moments.
Rohit Sharma has not justified his position as team captain, nor does he seem to warrant a place in the side as a specialist batter.
Legendary Australian batter Mark Waugh made a blunt assessment: “I think the selectors have been lenient. They have extended the amount of games and innings to get a score than any other player.
To make matters worse for Rohit, his counterpart, Pat Cummins, is leading by example. The Australian fast bowler has bowled tirelessly and made proactive on-field decisions, never letting India take control of proceedings.
Jasprit Bumrah, who led India to a commanding 290-run victory in Perth in Rohit Sharma’s absence, seems a much better candidate to lead the team.
Team selection under his captaincy has also been contentious. Dropping Shubman Gill for the Melbourne Test, citing the team’s best interests, seemed questionable, especially when Rohit failed to let his bat do the talking
Even pundits, who rarely criticise star players, have struggled to defend Rohit Sharma.
DOES KOHLI DESERVE A LONGER ROPE?
With Virat Kohli, there’s more frustration than hopelessness.
Kohli’s numbers remain unimpressive. While he showed glimpses of a return to form in 2023 after three challenging years in Tests, he ended 2024 with just 417 runs at an average of under 25. He scored a paltry 93 runs against New Zealand at home and began his Australian campaign with a century in Perth, only to follow it with just 62 runs in the next three Tests.
