Criticism continues to pour heavily against Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after this depleting 0-3 loss to New Zealand. Even the two belligerent batsmen for the Indian team showed miserable displays, with 91 runs at an average of 15.16 on his name at the end of the series after five games for Rohit and just 93 at 15.50 on the same after five games in this tour for Kohli.
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has been one of the most vocal in his criticism, drawing a parallel between Kohli, Sharma, and Babar Azam’s recent woes. “After Babar, Rohit and Virat find themselves in the same situation, struggling with form,” Ali said on his YouTube channel.
Ali felt that Rohit had particular issues with his batting in the third Test in Mumbai. His foot movement did not seem to be up to the mark. “When Rohit missed two deliveries, getting struck on the pads and lower abdomen, his footwork was off. He later stepped out to hit a four, which showed his struggle to move effectively,” he said.
The former cricketer believes the two cricketers should play more domestic cricket before the series against Australia. “Kohli is out of touch and needs to play domestically before heading to Australia. Rohit should seek Test match practice, which seems lacking,” he suggested.
Ali pointed out that all this while, there has been a mandate for players to make themselves available for domestic cricket to be eligible for selection. Others, such as Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, did well, but Kohli and Sharma were allowed to skip these matches.
