New Delhi, Jan 7 (NationPress) After India's 1-3 defeat to Australia in the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy series, numerous questions surfaced regarding the senior players, especially Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, following a series of lackluster performances from the duo. The involvement of head coach Gautam Gambhir and his support staff has also been scrutinized.
However, as it stands, all three will endure this setback. BCCI sources informed IANS that both Rohit and Virat will remain in line to represent the nation in the Champions Trophy and the five-match Test series against England in June.
For the past decade, both Rohit and Kohli have been pivotal figures in India's top-order and were instrumental in the country securing its second T20 World Cup title in June, but their performances have significantly declined since.
Sources from IANS indicated that a review of recent performances will take place soon, yet the BCCI does not hold head coach Gautam Gambhir accountable for the defeat.
"Indeed, there will be a review meeting, but no dismissals. You can't just fire a coach for the batters' poor performance in a single series. Gautam Gambhir will continue as coach, and Virat and Rohit will play in the England series. The focus is on the Champions Trophy," BCCI sources told IANS on Tuesday.
Kohli began the series strongly, scoring a century in the opening Test in Perth. However, his form plummeted, ending with only 190 runs in the series and getting dismissed eight times while chasing balls outside off-stump.
Conversely, Rohit, who missed the Perth Test due to the birth of his second child, could only manage 31 runs across three Tests before he opted to rest for the fifth match in Sydney.
Following the conclusion of the Sydney Test, Gambhir faced questions regarding the future of Virat and Rohit in the team post-BGT series, but he insisted that the duo still possesses the ‘hunger and passion’ to represent the country. “I can't discuss any player's future. That also depends on them. However, I can assure you that they still have that hunger and passion; they are resilient. Hopefully, they can continue to advance Indian cricket. Ultimately, whatever decisions are made, they will serve the best interests of Indian cricket,” Gambhir stated.
Since Gambhir's appointment as head coach across all formats, India has excelled in the shortest format of the game but has faced challenges in Test cricket. After a 2-0 home series victory against Bangladesh, it appeared that India had all but secured a place in the third consecutive World Test Championship final. However, a disheartening 0-3 loss to New Zealand followed, marking the nation's first home-series defeat in 12 years. India’s elimination from WTC contention occurred after the loss in the BGT.
India is set to host England for a white-ball series, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs, starting towards the end of January, before heading to Dubai for the upcoming Champions Trophy. The next Test challenge for India will be the five-match Test series away in England in June.
