Hyderabad: The potential retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli marks a turning point in Indian cricket, particularly in Test cricket. Both players have been instrumental in India's dominance over the past decade, but their recent struggles have raised concerns. Rohit has scored just 619 runs in 26 innings at an average of 24.76, while Kohli has managed 417 runs in 19 innings at 24.62. Their declining form has been one of the reasons for India's struggles, including a whitewash at home against New Zealand and disappointing losses in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne during Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 after a win in Perth under Jasprit Bumrah’s captaincy.
Although their retirement may seem imminent, the bigger question is whether India is prepared to fill the shoes of these two legends of the game. Here's a closer look at India's current crop of players that reveals significant vulnerabilities, and lack of experience of overseas conditions.
Where do #RohitSharma and #ViratKohli's futures lie? @RaviShastriOfc shares his take! 🗣#AUSvINDOnStar 👉 4th Test, Day 5 LIVE NOW! | #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy pic.twitter.com/nJoIhPIwQS
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 30, 2024
Overseas Inexperience
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been a find for India since his debut in July 2023. He announced himself scoring a hundred in the West Indies and amassing 712 runs in five Tests against England at home, including 2 centuries and 3 fifties. Currently, he is also India’s leading run-scorer (359) in the BGT 2024. But, his performance in South Africa exposed a weakness in handling pace and bounce, managing just 50 runs in 4 innings at an average of 12.50. His struggles against Mitchell Starc’s swinging left-arm pace deliveries in Australia were quite visible to the naked eye, and he has yet to be tested in swing-friendly conditions like England and New Zealand.
Similarly, Shubman Gill, who has been a part of India's Test setup for a long time now, has struggled outside Asia since his 91-run knock in the historic Gabba Test in 2021. He has not scored a single 40+ run in overseas Test matches since then, despite excelling at home and in Bangladesh. His inconsistency in challenging conditions remains a concern, and he has a technical flaw in his batting that causes him to get bowled on inswingers, which he needs to address.
KL Rahul has played in almost every overseas condition and role. He is the only Indian opener with centuries in England, South Africa, and Australia. Yet, his averages in SENA countries remain unimpressive: 28.38 in South Africa, 34.11 in England, and 27.87 in Australia. One of the main reasons behind this might be the constant shuffling in his batting position—from opener to middle-order to lower-order—which has hindered his ability to establish himself as a consistent performer. Hence, it will be interesting to see which position he will bat in going forward.
The Middle-Order Dilemma
Kohli’s retirement will create a vacuum at the crucial number four position, a role synonymous with stability. India has yet to find a successor for this vital position. Nitish Reddy showed promise in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024, but his credentials remain untested outside Australia.
Sarfaraz Khan performed decently in the Test series against England at home but had a mixed series against New Zealand. He scored 3 consecutive fifties against England and totalled 171 runs in six innings, which included an innings of 150 runs. In the remaining 5 innings he has managed to get only 21 runs including a couple of ducks. There are significant concerns about his ability to handle short-pitched deliveries on larger grounds. While he was able to capitalize on the pace of the ball on smaller grounds in India, this may not be the case in SENA countries. Additionally, his off-side game is limited; he tends to play most deliveries on the leg side, which could pose challenges for him.
The All-Rounder Department
The retirements of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will pose another significant challenge. Ashwin has already retired, and Jadeja is nearing the twilight of his career. The duo were not invaluable with the ball, but they have made significant contributions with the bat as well. Their likely replacements, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are yet to prove themselves outside Asia.
Washington has shown glimpses of his all-round ability but lacks substantial bowling success in overseas conditions. Axar, while exceptional at home, has not played a single Test match in SENA countries, leaving doubts about his ability to replicate Jadeja’s impact on seaming or bouncy tracks.
Rishabh Pant: A Lone Constant
Amid the uncertainty, Rishabh Pant emerges as a consistent performer in the batting lineup. However, relying solely on Pant to stabilize the middle order is a risky strategy, especially considering the inexperience of the players around him. He has centuries in India, England, Australia and South Africa and has been a vital cog in India's recent success in away tours. His ability to bat and bat aggressively, allows the team to play with extra bowler as well.
With Rohit and Kohli on the verge of retirement, that balance is at risk. The lack of overseas experience among batters, untested spinners, and unresolved middle-order issues point to a transition phase fraught with challenges.
The coming years will test whether India can maintain its dominance in the longest format or if the retirement of these two icons will expose vulnerabilities that are yet to be addressed. For now, India seems far from ready to bid farewell to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
