Among the many unusual factors that played a role in India’s historic capitulation to New Zealand at home was the poor form of captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While the veteran pair have hardly been at their best in the current Test season, the low scores they strung against New Zealand came somewhat out of the blue for Indian fans and former Pakistan star Basit Ali feels that Rohit and Kohli are struggling just the way Babar Azam is in long-form cricket.
“Babar ke baad, Rohit aur Virat ki bhi wahi situation ho gayi hai, form kharaab (After Babar, Rohit and Virat are also in the same situation, poor form),” Basit Ali said while speaking on his YouTube channel. Former Pakistan captain Babar has endured an incredible drop in form in Test cricket, averaging 22.66 last year and 18.50 this year, which eventually led to him being left out of the squad altogether.
Rohit had done well in the first half of the year, scoring two centuries in India’s 4-1 series win over England. He scored a half-century in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand but finished with just 91 runs in the series at an average of 15.16. Kohli, on the other hand, scored 93 runs in the series at an average of 15.50.
Basit said that the way Rohit was playing on Day 3 in Mumbai showed that his feet movement was not good. “When Rohit missed two deliveries, struck on the pads and then on the lower abdomen, he stepped out to hit a four. This shows that his feet are not moving, form is not good. Then he hit a four off a reverse sweep,” Basit Ali said.
Kohli and Rohit should play domestic cricket
Basit said that the veteran Indian batters should play domestic cricket before going to Australia. “Virat Kohli, out of touch, not in form at all. He needs to play domestically before flying to Australia, Rohit also. Test match practice cannot be seen,” Basit Ali said.
Rohit and Kohli were among few senior Indian players, and the only specialist batters, who were allowed to sit out of the Duleep Trophy in September before the start of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. “It was the mandate that you must make yourself available for domestic cricket to be eligible for India selection. Everyone played, all of them performed in patches – Shubman Gill, Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal…but these two (Rohit and Virat) were given a free hand and allowed to exclude themselves,” he said.
