Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli walk freely while Gautam Gambhir & Co. they blow up Rishabh Pant after the MCG disaster

India’s loss to Australia in the Boxing Day Test opened up a lot of questions for them. The men in blue are under immense pressure as they need to win their next match to end the series on even terms.

However, shocking news is coming to the public about three players who were heavily criticized after India’s defeat in Melbourne. The three players are Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.

All these players did not have a particularly good outing in the match, so they faced criticism from all sides. While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s poor form continued, Rishabh Pant was out and batted poorly when his team needed him the most.

Also read: BCCI official confirms Gautam Gambhir’s dismissal from cards, exposes tensions behind the scenes

Nothing was said to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma: Reports

According to Rohit Juglan of RevSportz, nothing has been said to the two best senior players in the team – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. When the entire team was criticized for poor shot selection in the match, it included poor shots by Rohit and Kohli.

There have been talks of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring after their recent form. However, the Indian team management, including Gautam Gambhir, did not say anything to these two senior players.

Rohit Sharma was out of the machine in the second innings as he tried to play a poor shot that was not needed at that stage. Rohit had looked solid up to that point but tried to play an aggressive shot and was caught by Mitchell Marsh at gully for just 9 off 40 deliveries.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli came out in a typical manner who has been sacked throughout his career. The 36-year-old tried to play left-arm cover off pacer Mitchell Starc but got an outside edge only to be caught by Usman Khawaja at first slip. Kohli was dismissed for just 5 off 29 balls.

Rishabh Pant faces wrath for India’s loss: Reports

The report also claims that wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was heavily criticized by the team management and faced the wrath of India’s defeat. Pant was criticized for his poor shot selection at a time when the team needed him the most.

Rishabh Pant was criticized outside the Indian dressing room as well. And no. of former cricketers blamed the timing of his shot selection and blamed him for the defeat. But some former cricketers like Michael Hussey have come out in his support and endorsed his ability to win matches for his team from any situation.

Pant was criticized to such an extent that there were talks of dropping him as well. But that is unlikely to happen as he has been India’s best player in Tests for some time now.

Premature dismissal of Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant tried to play a big shot from the outstanding Travis Head but was caught in the deep by Mitchell Marsh. He had played a defensive style of cricket up to that point but also looked solid. Pant and Jaiswal built a strong and patient partnership as India did not lose a single wicket in the second session.

However, he saw a half-tracker and couldn’t help himself from playing a big shot. Big boundaries at the MCG also played a part in his dismissal as he was dismissed for 30 off 104 balls.

His wicket was a turning point as it opened the floodgates for Australia. The hosts saw the opportunity and attacked the Indian batsmen with an impressive toss of the ball. India lost seven wickets in the last session to lose the match.