Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has hinted at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing domestic cricket to make their case for selection into the red-ball team. Gambhir’s comments came after India’s shattering 3-1 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia.
Captain Rohit had a disastrous series, which saw him score only 31 runs in five innings. The poor form forced him to stand down of the fifth and final Test in Sydney, as Jasprit Bumrah acted as the stand-in captain. However, the move could not bear fruit for the visitors, as the Pat Cummins-led side won the game by six wickets.
Meanwhile, Kohli began the five-match series with an impressive unbeaten century. However, what followed was not the fans and the cricket fraternity would have expected of a BGT legend like Kohli. The right-hander managed to end the series with 190 runs at an average of 23.75 and was dismissed behind the wicket on all occasions.
Appearing in the post-match press conference, Gambhir shared his take on the future of both veteran players. According to the head honcho, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma still have the hunger to contribute to the team, but think the decision to continue playing solely lies with them.
“I can’t talk about the future of any player. It’s up to them as well. But yes, what I can say is that they still have the hunger, they still have the passion. They’re tough people and hopefully they can continue to take Indian cricket forward. But ultimately, as we all know, that whatever they plan, they will plan for the best interest of Indian cricket,” he said.
Further, Gambhir indirectly told Virat and Rohit to play domestic cricket to display their commitment to the longest format of the game.
“I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket, if they’re available. If you’ve commitment to play red ball cricket then play domestic,” he added.
Gambhir lauds Jasprit Bumrah’s contributions in BGT 2024-25
Gautam Gambhir hailed Jasprit Bumrah’s sensational performances in the BGT 2024-25. The right-arm pacer forced Indian fans to dream of retaining the BGT after a magic performance in Perth, which helped India to win by 295 runs.
Despite India’s series loss, Bumrah reigned supreme to finish with 32 wickets in three games at an exceptional average of 13.06. He went past Bishan Singh Bedi, who held the record for picking the most wickets by an Indian bowler in an overseas Test series with 31 scalps.
In the aforementioned press conference, Gambhir said:
“Absolutely outstanding. I can’t say more than that. Whenever he has come on to bowl, he has done a fabulous job. He has done everything possible from his side. He has also been helped from the other side by Mohammed Siraj and some of the young boys as well.”
“First of all, I don’t want to say that because Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t there that we couldn’t get the result. Obviously we had our moments and it would have been nice if we’d have been there. But we still had five bowlers and a good team has won, which is not dependent on one individual. Yes, we didn’t get the result. (That’s) as simple as it can get. We lost the series here, as simple (as that),” he added.
FAQs
What is Rohit Sharma’s test record in Australia?
439 runs in 10 games
How did Virat Kohli fared in tests in 2024?
417 runs in 10 games
