New Delhi: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of Indian cricket's most emblematic players, find themselves grappling with different struggles in their Test careers.
Rohit, who transformed India’s opening strategy in the longest format, faces a concerning dip in consistency. His average, which has dipped below 30 this year, casts doubt on his endurance in Tests, a format he once approached with assured dominance.
While he has reinvented his role in T20 cricket, hitting personal bests in both average and strike rate, this dual success exposes a familiar challenge: sustaining form across formats.
The distinct mindset and aggression required in T20s seem to suit him, but the Test format, demanding patience and discipline, is proving to be less forgiving.
For Virat Kohli, the challenge has taken a different form. Known for his relentless consistency and mental grit in Tests, his score of just five runs across two innings in the ongoing Mumbai Test is telling.
Facing only 13 balls, Virat's struggle signals a potential technical or mental block that he hasn't entirely overcome. This recent rough patch underscores the demanding nature of Test cricket, a game that doesn’t allow even a player of Virat's calibre to rest on past achievements.
Virat's current struggles resonate with an unspoken truth: maintaining peak form across formats is an enormous ask, especially in an era that demands rapid adaptation and constant reinvention.
Together, these experiences of Rohit and Virat signal a broader recalibration for India’s Test approach. They’re stark reminders that even the greatest players need time to adapt, and that India may benefit from injecting fresh faces into the Test side to complement their experience. In this regard, Abhimanyu Easwaran’s inclusion as an opener for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia may provide valuable depth to the squad.
Whether it’s through evolving strategies or bringing in new talent, the message is clear, Indian cricket is navigating a shift, and the time may be right to embrace it.