BGT 2024-25: Shastri bats for Kohli, feels Rohit needs to take a call on future soon

Both the senior batters are under scrutiny for their below-par performances during the ongoing five-Test series in Australia.

Melbourne: Former India coach Ravi Shastri believes that Virat Kohli still has 3-4 years of cricket left in him, but skipper Rohit Sharma may need to assess his future after the ongoing series Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, considering his prolonged struggle with form and technique in the traditional format of the game.

Senior India batters, Rohit and Kohli are under scrutiny for their below-par performances during the ongoing five-Test series in Australia.

Rohit has managed just 31 runs across five innings, scoring 3, 6, 10, 3, and 9 at a dismal average of 6.20, the lowest by a touring captain on the Australian soil.

Kohli, despite a hundred in the Perth Test, has struggled with consistency, scoring 5, 100 not out, 7, 11, 3, 36, and 5 in the series so far.

"I think Virat will play for some time. Forget the way he got out, or whatever. I think he'll play for another three or four years," Shastri told Star Sports.

"As far as Rohit is concerned, it's a call. At the top of the order, just feel the footwork isn't the same. He's probably late at times in meeting the ball. So, it's his call at the end of the series."

Shastri pointed out technical issues in Rohit's batting, especially his front foot movement.

"At times, we'e seen in the series that his front foot isn't really moving towards the ball as much as it should. There's a trigger movement, and then after that, the leg stays planted," he explained.

If he wasn't captain, Rohit might not be playing right now: Pathan

Former pacer Irfan Pathan believes Rohit Sharma wouldn't find a place in the playing XI on current form if he was not the India captain.

"A player who has made about 20,000 runs -- yet the way Rohit is struggling now, it seems his form is not supporting him at all. What's happening now is that he is the captain, so he is playing. If he were not the captain, he might not be playing right now," he said.

"You would have had a set team. KL Rahul would have been playing at the top. (Yashasvi) Jaiswal would have been there. Shubman Gill would have been there.

"If we talk about reality, considering how he is struggling with the bat, there might not have been a place for him in the playing XI. But because he is the captain, and you want to win the next match to draw the series, he stays in the team."

The slump has been a long one for Rohit. Earlier this year, he managed just 42 runs in four innings during the home Test series against Bangladesh and only 91 runs across three games against New Zealand.

"His form is so poor. Even in India, even before coming here, he wasn't scoring runs, and he still hasn't scored runs. This is a very disappointing scene when I see Rohit Sharma batting," Pathan said.

Kohli will be disappointed

Talking about Kohli, Shastri said: "Virat batted well in the first innings. He'll be disappointed in the way he's getting out because there's a similarity, with the driving outside the off stump. He could leave those deliveries."

While assessing Kohli's dismissals, Shastri highlighted the challenge posed by Mitchell Starc.

"Mitchell Starc set Virat Kohli up beautifully. An over before that, there were some good leaves from Virat, but they were challenging the off stump.

"And here, he floated one outside, tempting Virat -- should I leave it, should I play, last over before lunch. Virat would have been very disappointed."

Pathan wondered why Kohli is not able to bring the work he has been doing in practice to match situations.

"The shot by Virat Kohli -- this is neither the first time nor the last time. He is not letting go of the temptation to drive outside the off stump. He has been doing this for many years. Everyone is saying the same thing. Virat Kohli also knows this. We all talk about his discipline -- why can't he bring that discipline onto the field?"

Reflecting on the turning point of the match, Shastri said: "I think the turning point was the wicket of Rishabh Pant. They knew they couldn't win the game by lunchtime once they lost three wickets.

"The only chance you have of winning is if there's a platform set, exactly what Rohit said in the press conference. And then, when Rishabh Pant got out after tea, that lifted the Australians. That was the opening they were looking for, and they made sure to capitalise on it."

The fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins in Sydney on January 3.