It’s not an unknown fact that both the veterans of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have been struggling with form in the longest format of the game, as they couldn’t come up with a promising performance in the first of the two-match red-ball series against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Going into the second Test at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur for the second game, the former opening batter of the Indian side believes that it won’t be a concern for the home side, as they hadn’t endured a prolonged lean run.
Rohit Sharma could be counted as really unfortunate in the opening game. In the first innings, he was undone by an incredible delivery from Hasan Mahmud, which pitched in the top length and bounced awkwardly to take the edge of the bat.
In the second inning of the game, the southpaw was undone by another delivery, which bounced him out into the hands of the slip fielder. He will have four more Test matches before taking the flight to Australia towards the end of the year for the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
“Rohit Sharma looked good and didn’t face any difficulties”- Aakash Chopra
Virat Kohli also couldn’t get going with the bat in both innings of the Test. In the first innings, he nicked off Hasan Mahmud’s fourth-stump line delivery before being adjusted leg before the stumps (LBW) in the second innings against the off-spinner, Mohammad Miraz, although the replays suggested an inside edge on his blade.
“I will say it’s not a concern. It happens at times that runs aren’t scored. Runs not getting scored could be a concern if it’s a long patch. They played in the T20 World Cup final, and both left at an amazing high.” Aakash Chopra expressed this in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
The former Indian captain of the T20I side was in great tough in the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka last month, while Kohli, who wasn’t among the runs against the Island bowlers, was the highest run-getter in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup which they went on to win.
“After that, you wish to take a little leave and rest. However, they were sent to Sri Lanka for the ODIs. Rohit Sharma looked very good. He didn’t face any difficulties. Virat Kohli didn’t score runs there and after that, there was no other cricket.” The Uttar Pradesh-born highlighted.
The Nagpur-born smashed 157 runs in three innings during the ODI series at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 141.44, while Kohli could collect only 58 runs in three innings at an average of under 20.
The speculation before the Bangladesh series was whether these two experienced players should have been involved in the first round of the Duleep Trophy 2024 to get back into the groove of the red-ball format, as most of the other players like KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant did.
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“They (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) didn’t play in the Duleep Trophy and I know there was a question attached to your question about whether not playing in the Duleep Trophy became a cause for concern for them. Maybe it would have been better if they had played because there is no hesitation or shame in playing.” Aakash Chopra advocated.
He concluded by pointing out how Sachin Tendulkar used to go to Lahli to play in domestic tournaments in the past. However, he also pointed out that both Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin scored runs and took wickets despite not playing in the Duleep Trophy 2024.