Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri expects India’s poster boys Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play a big knock in the Boxing Day test, scheduled to be held in Melbourne. The stakes for the game is high, with the series tied 1-1 after the conclusion of three games.
Since the last few months, Kohli and Rohit have undergone a rough patch of form, where they haven’t been able to convert their starts into a big knock on quite a few occasions.
Kohli had a mediocre series against Bangladesh, where he garnered 99 runs in four innings, while remaining unbeaten on 29* in his last appearance. The 36-year-old failed to come to terms with New Zealand’s credible spin attack, as he scored only 93 runs in six innings, as India went on to lose the series 3-0. In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Kohli played a 100*-run knock in Perth, but since then has returned with scores of 7, 11 & 3.
Meanwhile, Rohit has struggled to score runs on home and away soils in the red-ball format. He scored only 85 runs in four innings of the Bangladesh series. The right-hander followed it up with managing only 91 runs in six innings against New Zealand. The BGT 2024-25 has seen him batting in the middle-order and come up with knocks of 3, 6 & 10.
With disappointing batting performances in the last two tests, the Indian team would look to find contributions from their most experienced pacers in testing conditions.
In this regard, Shastri feels Jasprit Bumrah has been a driving force behind visitors’ still in the hunt to win the series. The ace pacer is the most successful bowler in the series with 21 wickets in three games. According to the 62-year-old, Australia will have plenty of problems if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma fire in unison in MCG.
“They’ve been kept in this series single-handedly by Jasprit Bumrah,” Shastri said to ICC. “If the big boys wake up, and step up to the plate which I just get the gut feeling they will, then Australia has a problem on their hands.”
Shastri recommends Kohli and Rohit come out all guns blazing to dominate the Australian bowling attack to help India gain an edge heading into the Sydney test.
“Yeah, they got out of jail but they are not on bail. They are free birds in Melbourne. They can do what they want and come and attack Australia on Boxing Day,” he added.
What Rohit Sharma said about his batting failures in BGT?
After the completion of the third BGT 2024-25 test in Gabba, Rohit Sharma appeared in a post-match press conference. On being asked questions about his disappointing form, Rohit said:
“Yeah, I have not batted well. There is no harm in accepting that. But I know what’s in my mind. How I am preparing myself. All those boxes are very much ticked. It’s just about spending as much time as possible [batting].”
According to Rohit, his mind, body and feet are in proper sync and he just has to spend much time on the pitch to get back to his former self. He also expressed confidence about his preparation heading up to the games.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will next be seen in action in the fourth BGT 2024-25 test against Australia in Melbourne from December 26.
FAQs
What is the track record of Rohit Sharma in Australia?
427 runs in 9 innings @26.68
How has Virat Kohli fared in BGT history?
1,478 runs in 16 innings @50.96
