by The inglorious end to India’s proud home record has left the cricket-mad nation grappling with the reality it has long feared – that aging stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma could be nearing the end of the road. Through three World Cup titles, two World Test Championship (WTC) finals and a 12-year Test series winning streak on home soil, Kohli and Sharma, often together, have been instrumental in every major Indian success of the last 17 years.
Both left T20 Internationals after winning the World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year and their declining results in Test cricket are a major concern ahead of India’s trip to Australia for a record five-Test series. India will try to avert a rare defeat in the third Test against New Zealand, which begins on Friday. Fans are hoping that captain Rohit and main batsman Kohli will put in some runs before flying to Australia.
Opener Rohit, an accurate and stylish batsman in his prime who helped India to their first two series wins in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, has recorded six single-figure returns and just one fifty in his last eight Test innings.
Kohli, widely regarded as one of the modern game’s batting greats, has managed just two centuries in the last five years and just two fifties in his last 12 innings in the longest format. The right-hander’s average has fallen to 48.31 and his problems with left-arm spin – he fell in both innings of the second Test against New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner – have been noticeable.
“Virat Kohli’s Test record in the last two-three years has not been great against spin,” his former India teammate Dinesh Karthik told www.cricbuzz.com.
Kohli looked dejected after being bowled by a juicy full toss from Santner in the first innings in Pune, as if he was remembering how he would have sent the delivery to the boundary in his prime. “Obviously it’s a recurring pattern that (left-arm) spinners trouble him and I think he will figure out what he needs to do to come out stronger,” Karthik said.
“He’s a man looking for answers.”
However, it is not just Rohit and Kohli who came up short as India’s usually strong and deep batting force was a major disappointment in the two Tests against New Zealand. They were bowled out for a dismal 46 in Bengaluru and a paltry 156 in Pune, but their failure to post decent scores in the first innings meant a comeback in both Tests was a tall order.
India hold a narrow lead over Australia in the WTC standings and another defeat in Mumbai would mean they would need to win four of the five Test matches Down Under to reach their third successive final. The next few months could also determine whether Kohli, who turns 36 next week, and Rohit, who is a year older, can extend their Test careers.
