Last dance for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli?

The form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remains a genuine debate and concern amidst Indian cricket fans, and ahead of the first of five Test matches in Australia the big question is: how will the two biggest Indian batsmen of this generation fare, aged 37 and 36 respectively, in what certainly looks like their last trip to these shores?

Following a shock 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home recently, which has left India needing to win four of five Tests in Australia to make the World Test Championship final, there is added pressure on the team, particularly on Rohit, Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir. 

Both Rohit and Kohli have struggled at home of late, in conditions more in in favour of spin bowlers than batsmen. From 11 Tests in 2014, Rohit averages 29. In five recent home Tests, he managed 133 runs for an average of 13.30. In those same five home matches, Kohli averaged 21.33. 

Kohli’s predicament is more concerning. In the last five years, his Test batting average is 32.90 and he’s made three centuries across 62 innings. 

That said, it might be a relief Kohli to play in Australia given the bounce and ability to get reward for strokes. A big part of his alarming Test batting average dropping under 50 has been India’s preference for tough, tricky spin-friendly surfaces at home since the first WTC cycle started in 2019. In Australia, Kohli will not have to worry about the ball staying low or turning sharply. 

He averages over 54 in Tests in Australia, with six centuries and four fifties from 13 matches. Evidence enough that despite diminishing returns and the prospect of facing the toughest Test bowling quarter today, Kohli could regain some lost glory across these five matches. 

With Rohit not playing the Perth Test, India have an opener conundrum. Indications are that KL Rahul will get the nod to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, even though the 53-Test capped batsman averages 20 in Australia. This, coupled with the absence of an injured Shubman Gill, puts more on Kohli at No 4. He’s bossed it in Australia before, never more strikingly than the 2014-14 series during which he amassed 692 runs from four Tests with four centuries. And in his own words, the stroke-filled 123 he scored in the loss in Perth during the landmark 2018-19 tour ranks as the best for Kohli in Australia. 

Rohit does not have the scores to show for it recently, but he plays fast bowling, particularly the short-pitched stuff, very well. He has toured Australia three times as a Test cricketer and has three fifties from seven matches, at an average of 31. 

Past tours of Australia have seen Rohit get out to pace and spin, with Nathan Lyon having his number six times in seven Tests. The others to have his wicket twice are Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Shane Watson while Mitchell Johnson dismissed Rohit once. 

Does the past matter when two star performers are in a funk?

It’s not a straightforward answer, given that recent traits and chinks are what logically shape opinion. During New Zealand Tests at home not long ago, Rohit was hurried against pace and not able to connect on his preferred horizontal bat shots. He is 37, an age where batsmen’s footwork and reflexes tend to diminish, and how he fares against Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc will be very interesting to watch.  

Hypothetically, should India lose the series and Rohit and Kohli fail to make good runs, it will be anyone’s guess as to whether the pair, heading into their late 30s, will have the drive to play another two-year WTC cycle. Their next assignment will be five Test matches in England, which could push the pair to their limits. 

Rohit and Kohli have retired from T20Is, but early next year is the ICC Champions Trophy – which India have not won since 2013 – and in 2027 there’s potentially once last shot at winning the coveted ODI World Cup. Come mid-2025 and both cricketers might have to decide which of the two formats they’re active in means more to them, and how longer their bodies can manage at the top level. 

All of this sets up this edition of the BGT as a cracking series, in which every move of Kohli and Rohit will be fascinating to follow. Don’t miss it for anything.