Since the whitewash in the home Test series against New Zealand by a 0-3 margin for the very first time, questions have already been raised to bring wholesale changes in the squad, leaving out both the seniors, captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, expects the same to happen if these two again fail in Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Rohit hardly found his mojo in the series, having struggled badly against the pace bowlers as he collected only 91 runs in six innings at an average of around 15 with just one half-century. The surroundings of Kohli were the same, with only two more runs coming from the blade of the former Indian captain.
Sunil Gavaskar, despite keeping the condition of them potentially being dropped after one more failure, displayed confidence that two ‘stalwarts’ of Indian cricket are capable enough of staging a strong comeback after their disappointing performances.
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The Mumbai-born felt that the pressure would be not only on Kohli and Sharma but also on the entire batting department, who failed to grab the momentum at the vital moment. Apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant, no one looked in great touch at all.
Sunil Gavaskar expects wholesale squad changes if India fails in BGT 2024-25
In this ongoing year 2024, Virat has grabbed 250 runs in 12 Test innings at an average of 22.73 and a strike rate of around 70 with the help of just one solitary half-century. Rohit, on the flip of the coin, has smashed 588 runs in 21 innings at an average of 29.40 with two centuries and two half-centuries.
“Definitely, yes. If they don’t score runs in Australia, there will be a clamor for a new-look Indian team to start from the tour of England.” Sunil Gavaskar highlighted this during an interaction with India Today just after they were blown away for the series clean sweep.
The 75-year-old also questions the decision of both these experienced players in refusing to play the first round of the Duleep Trophy 2024, which would have been the best preparation for them before the two homes series against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
“It’s ticking for everybody. It’s not just them. But, because they are in their 30s or mid-30s, it will be tougher for them than the guys in their early 20s or early 30s. But the clock is ticking for everybody. Which is why I say, the more you are playing, the more you will be prepared to meet the demands of modern-day cricket.” Sunil Gavaskar added.
“Understandable (focus on Kohli and Rohit’s failures). This is one of those rare series where both of them have not been able to score runs (Kohli and Rohit). Don’t forget, Kohli got a 70 in the second innings in Bengaluru. It’s just one of those rarities where both these stalwarts have not been able to make significant contributions.” The veteran highlighted this during the discussion.
The former opening batter advised that it would be about showing the character of a sportsperson in making a comeback to form after bad patches, which is a regularity to all of the batters in their career.
“Look, a bad patch comes to everybody. Sometimes, a couple of bad patches can happen. That’s what sporting life is all about. But how you come back from those bad patches tells how good a player you are and your character as a sportsperson. What we are going to see in Australia is going to be interesting. What we are going to see in Australia will determine the future of the Test team.” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.