BCCI official promises strict action against Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli for ‘no retirement’ stance
India’s poor record in Test cricket in recent times has forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to reconsider the team’s future. India recently lost the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia 1-3 and was also eliminated from the race for the World Test Championship final.
Despite winning the first match of the series, India underperformed in the next four Tests for Australia to win the series. The performance of senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came under the scanner after the loss to India.
Both batsmen are world class but have been far below par throughout the series. The performance of Kohli and Rohit was one of the main reasons behind India’s disappointing performance in the batting department.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Jasprit Bumrah ruled out? New report leaves Rohit, Gambhir stunned
BCCI unhappy with India’s poor performance in BGT 2024-25
According to Dainik Jagran, the BCCI is upset with the team’s performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which also led to India’s elimination from the race for the WTC Final. It is the first time in three occasions that India have failed to qualify for the summit clash.
Devajit Saikia, who is slated to be the new BCCI secretary, and Prabhtej Bhatia, who will be the board’s treasurer, submitted their nominations at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai recently.
Both spoke of the team’s poor performance in the Test series against Australia while submitting their nominations. Both will take office from January 12.
The board authorities discussed the performances of stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill who were very disappointed with the bat. All the board members were visibly upset and wanted to accept the difficult decision.
Fresh updates on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
The meeting also saw fresh updates on the future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. According to the same report, a senior BCCI official confirmed that neither Virat Kohli nor Rohit Sharma are looking to retire from Test cricket anytime soon. However, the official confirmed that it is time to make tough decisions.
While the senior players are yet to postpone their careers, it is believed that the management cannot force them to retire. However, the selectors will make some big decisions given the team’s recent performances.
“The team officials are also unhappy with the loss. The team which is going through a tough phase of change will now have to do a lot of introspection after returning home. When asked about this, a top BCCI official said that I listened to Gavaskar and Irfan after the match. When asked about Virat and Rohit, said that there was no indication that these two would retire from Tests on their own, but that they would do something “Certainly the selectors will take the right decision when the time comes,” the report said.
During the nominations of Devajit Saikia and Prabhtej Bhatia, Virat Kohli’s constant problems with the ball off stump were also discussed. He was on the attack several times in this series.
HUGE: Soon BCCI Sec. & Treasurer addressed #AUSvIND bad driving during nominations. Taking office on January 12.
.@abhishereporter reports: Senior BCCI official says: “No signs of Kohli or Rohit stepping down. Time to act.”
~ The cricket over the star culture must be the message 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Vw3H8dTKnp— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) January 6, 2025
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are getting smaller
Virat Kohli’s dismissals were almost similar each time which raised questions about his ability to tackle such deliveries. Kohli scored 190 runs in five Tests in the series at an average of 23.75. After scoring in the first Test in Perth, he failed to make his mark again in the next four matches.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma too had a poor run and even had to sit out in the last Test. Rohit scored 31 in three Tests at an average of 6.20. He did not play the first and fifth Tests of the series.
