Former Australia cricketer Michael Clarke has stated that in case Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma fail to perform in the upcoming five-Test series between India and Australia (BGT 2024), they might retire from the game, but they won't be dropped.
Given that Rohit is 37 and Kohli is 36, it is unlikely that the two Indian mainstays will visit Australia for the upcoming Test series for another four years.
With only 91 and 93 from six innings against New Zealand, which India lost by a resounding 0–3 score, Kohli and Rohit's combined record is causing India a lot of trouble because they are not among the runs.
The fact that India is on the verge of being the only team to record a hat-trick of series victories in Australia and that a spot in the World Test Championship final is still open are two further issues that they must deal with going into BGT.
Hence, Michael Clarke wants both Kohli and Rohit to fire in the high-octane Test series.
"If it's their last time here in Australia, I think it will be retirement. They won't be dropped, but in the same breath, I think every cricketer knows that if you're not making runs or taking wickets, there will be conversations around that kind of thing. Being the captain of the team, you get slack for that, and if you're the world's best batter for the last 10 years – maybe longer – across formats, I think Virat may get a bit more slack than somebody else," Clarke said on 'Around the Wicket' podcast.
"I hope for this series' sake, Test cricket's sakes, they both come out, get back to their best form, and score plenty of runs for India, but also Test cricket. We want to see the Australian attack which is a good one, take on the top-order batting of India which is pretty strong in itself,” he stated.
In 13 Tests in Australia, Kohli has amassed 1352 runs at an impressive average of 54.08. Kohli, in the 2014-15 BGT series, had scored 697 runs with four centuries – twin hundreds in Adelaide. Then in 2018-19, Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia.
Rohit has an underwhelming record against the Aussies – just 708 runs from 12 Tests when compared to Virat Kohli.
Clarke believes that by the end of the series, Rohit and Kohli will have revived their batting glory days, despite all the odds against them and India.
"I think they are probably coming into Australian conditions where they both like playing. Rohit Sharma plays fast bowling as good as anyone in that team. Certainly, short-pitch bowling – he'll take the Aussie on with that hook shot and he plays it up over third man. And Virat is in class. His record is phenomenal. He has scored six hundreds in 13 Tests, averages over 50 in Australian conditions," Clarke said.
"My brain doesn't say they're going to come here and fail. They will be tough to get out and I think the Australian bowlers will need to find a way to dismiss them both early in the innings as often as they possibly can,” he concluded.
The BGT 2024 begins with the first Test of the five-match series on November 22 in Perth.
(ANI inputs)
