The former captain of the Indian side, Virat Kohli, has earned some criticism for the very first time in his career as he ends the recently concluded five-match Test series in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with a disastrous 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75, shouldering on an unbeaten 100-run knock during the second innings of the series opener in Perth.
Virat Kohli came into the series with just 93 runs under his belt in just six innings at home against New Zealand at an average of 15.50 with the help of just one half-century that came during the second innings of the opening fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The form of the 36-year-old went from bad to worse as he fell prey to the balls outside the off-stump throughout the series against the Australian pacers. During the first innings of the second day-night pink-ball affair at the Adelaide Oval, the right-handed batter wasn’t convinced whether to leave or attack the Mitchell Starc delivery. In the following innings, he leaned forward to Scott Boland to find the outside edge.
In the lone innings of the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, Virat Kohli went for a booming drive against Josh Hazlewood and was caught by the wicket-keeper, Alex Carey. The same action took place during the fourth Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, but the veteran showed a great mindset in refusing those shots.
Ian Chappell demands Virat Kohli’s improvement in consistency
India has not been able to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship 2023-25 for the very first time in three cycles as the team is slowly progressing for a transition before their next five-match trip to England in June this year.
The former batter of Australia, Ian Chappell, has expressed that a county championship deal would be valuable for Virat Kohli, but he would need to go back to the basis of the game in scoring the runs to justify his place in the side.
“Virat Kohli’s experience in the UK would be invaluable, and of the two problematic players, he’s the most likely to be resuscitated. However, his consistency needs to improve in addition to dispensing valuable advice to younger players.” The South Australian noted in his new column on ESPNcricinfo.
“He also has to stop his senseless antics like shouldering Sam Konstas in the MCG Test. If Kohli does decide to retire from Test cricket, the loss of both him and Rohit will leave a huge gap in the line-up for a tough tour.” Ian Chappell penned down.
Along with Virat Kohli, the regular captain of the side, Rohit Sharma has also struggled with a lack of runs in Australia as he could manage only 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20 with the best score of 10.
Ian Chappell is uncertain of Rohit’s future in the longest format as he felt that the selectors would have to make tough decisions regarding the position of both these experienced players,
“For India, the two big question marks are leading batters, and the selectors have tough decisions to make regarding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The soon-to-be-38-year-old Rohit, facing a crammed five-Test series against England in a few months, is a doubtful quantity.” The Adelaide-born added.
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“Although India is extremely reluctant to part with star players, lately Rohit has struggled technically, and his absence would provide uncertainty over the opening position and the captaincy,” Chappell concluded.
Both Rohit and Virat Kohli are expected to turn out for India in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place on February 19.