India captain Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli have carried the Indian batting on their shoulders for more than a decade now. But the two superstars from India appear to be on their last legs in the longest format of the game.
Monday could be the final time that the world has seen both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Test cricket. At least that will be the case at one of the best grounds in the world – Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). But if Indian selectors and possibly head coach Gautam Gambhir have their say, it would be from international Test cricket as well.
We have already seen legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin walking away from Test cricket after their drawn third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane earlier this month. If India go on to lose the fourth Test at the MCG on Monday and fail to qualify for the World Test Championships (WTC) 2025 final next year at Lord’s, both Rohit and Kohli could have played their final games in Test cricket.
Rohit has had a disastrous 2024 in Test cricket, scoring only 164 runs at an average of 11 and things didn’t get better on the final day of the Boxing Day Test on Monday. The Indian skipper was dismissed for 9 off 40 balls and has only 31 runs in 5 innings so far in this series after missing the first Test in Perth due to the birth of his second child.
Kohli’s woes of balls outside the off stump continued as he fell for just 5 off 29 balls, chasing another wide ball off Mitchell Starc to depart just before lunch on Day 5.
Edged and caught behind the wicket, all of Virat Kohli’s dismissals this series have had a common theme #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/5mz5SGcAbh
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 30, 2024
Former India skipper Kohli now has only 167 runs in 7 innings, with 100 of those coming in one innings – the second innings at Perth last month. While former India head coach Ravi Shastri might believe that Kohli has got a few years left in him as a Test batter, the patience of Indian selectors might be running thin.
According to a report from PTI news agency, Indian chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar is in Melbourne right now and it is possible that they will have a conversation about Rohit’s future in Test cricket soon. The report added that Rohit will step down if India fail to qualify for the WTC final in this cycle.
At lunch on the fifth day, India were struggling at 33 for 3 in 26.1 overs, still needing another 307 runs to win this Test or survive 60 overs to draw this game.
