Is Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s lack of domestic match practice reason behind their bad form?

Indian cricket team’s loss to New Zealand at home ended their streak of most series wins in home conditions. One of the most striking features was the bad batting form that was seen from India’s two most experienced batters. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have endured a lean patch with the bat. 

Skipper Rohit Sharma has scored 62 runs from four innings with an average of 15.5. His only fifty came in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test India lost by 8 wickets. In Pune, the 37-year-old scored his first duck of the year in the Test format. 

Virat Kohli on the other hand has scored 88 runs from four innings with an average of 22. In fact the 70 Kohli scored in Bengaluru was his first fifty of the year. Virat Kohli’s dismissal in the first innings was shocking to say the least. The former Indian skipper missed a full toss only to be bowled by Mitchell Santner. 

Did missing Duleep Trophy 2024 hurt India’s batting stalwarts?

Just before the Indian cricket team under Rohit Sharma were set to play Bangladesh and New Zealand, Duleep Trophy 2024 was organized. Players like KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan took part in the tournament. 

It was believed that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli too will be part of the tournament. BCCI though gave the veteran duo rest owing to workload management. The decision has come back to haunt the Indian team. The two stars are currently struggling to score runs on a consistent basis. 

Many fans have cited the example of Sachin Tendulkar while calling out the duo. Sachin Tendulkar played his Ranji game against Haryana and scored a match-winning knock. This was the only game Sachin got to play as preparation for his farewell games in a few weeks. 

Despite being called The God Sachin Tendulkar played Ranaji till 40. This last appearance was 15 days before he retire. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have not played domestic since 2012 & 2016 respectively. If Sachin can play why can't others. #INDvsNZ#INDvsNZTEST#INDvNZpic.twitter.com/1EmbtbJ18A

— Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) October 26, 2024

In the first innings the man with over 51 Test tons fell for 5 and in the 2nd innings Mumbai were given a target of 240 to win. Sachin Tendulkar batted for 296 minutes at the age of 40 and scored 79 runs from 175 balls. This won Mumbai the game as the master made his final walk to the hut in the Ranji Trophy. 

Take the case of Rohit Sharma, before the series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, he had an average of 45.5. India’s skipper had scored 455 runs with 2 centuries and one fifty. In the four matches and 8 innings since, Rohit has scored 104 runs with an average of 13 and one half-century. 

Virat Kohli’s numbers are even more shocking with 245 runs from 10 innings with one not out. The former India skipper has an average of 27 with just one fifty in this calendar year. His Test average which was at one stage in the mid-fifties has slowly come down to below 48.32. 

With the huge tour of Australia around the corner, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need to head back to domestic cricket. Delaying their departure to Australia and playing the next round for Mumbai and Delhi in the Ranji Trophy might be a good idea. One cannot afford to have India’s two most experienced batters caught underprepared. With the WTC finals at stake, both Rohit and Virat need to be prepared and it starts from home.