Australia thrashed India by six wickets in the fifth and final Test in Sydney to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-2025 title on January 5. With this India failed to retain the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-2015. Riding on Sydney Test triumph, Australia also dashed India's hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 final. With India knocked out of the equation, Australia will now lock horns with South Africa in the WTC final, which is scheduled to be held at the Lord's from June 11 to 15.
Meanwhile, right after the Sydney Test disappointment, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir came to address the press to answer some pressing questions. Among the topics discussed was the future of senior players in the team, including captain Rohit Sharma and key batter Virat Kohli.
Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's Test future
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had a torrid show with the bat in the Test series against Australia. It all went to an extent that Rohit had to drop himself from the final Test in Sydney. When asked about the future of both players in India's Test team, Gambhir said that They have the hunger and commitment - hopefully they can do everything they can to take Indian cricket forward.
"I can't comment on the future of any Players, it is up to them. They have the hunger and commitment - hopefully they can do everything they can to take Indian cricket forward," Gambhir said in the post-match press conference after India's six-wicket loss to Australia in Sydney Test.
Gambhir hints at big changes in India's Test side after BGT flop
Gambhir also hinted at big changes going forward in India's Test set-up and said that to keep the dressing room happy, he needs to be honest and fair to everyone, be it a youngster or a senior player.
"To keep dressing room happy, I have to be honest and fair to everyone," Gambhir added.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's form slump
Virat Kohli endured a challenging Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring a mere 190 runs in ten innings across five Tests, translating to a dismal average of 23.75. This underwhelming performance came despite a century in Perth, highlighting the inconsistency that has plagued his recent Test cricket.
A closer look at his last 20 Test innings reveals a concerning trend. Kohli has amassed only 434 runs, resulting in a worrying average of 24.11. Excluding his lone century from this period, his average plummets to a staggering 17.57.
Here are the scores which Kohli has notched in his last 20 Test innings:
46, 12, 6, 17, 47, 29*, 0, 70, 1, 17, 4, 1, 5, 𝟭𝟬𝟬*, 7, 11, 3, 36, 5, 17
On the other hand, Rohit's form in Tests is equally concerning. Across the three series he has played this season, two of which were on home soil, Rohit has scored a mere 164 runs in 15 innings, with a lowly average of 10.93 with only one half-century to his name.
His struggles have been particularly evident in Australia, where he has managed to score only 31 runs across five innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Following the double failure in MCG Test, his average plummeted to a dismal 6.20, a record low for a touring captain in a Test series in Australia with a minimum of five innings. This record was previously held by West Indies bowling legend Courtney Walsh, who averaged 7.75 during the 1996/97 tour of Australia.