Indian batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have come under the scanner for their underwhelming display in the recently held Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under.

Kohli began the marquee series with a second innings hundred (100*) at Perth, but he managed to amass only 90 runs in his other eight innings combined.

On the other hand, Rohit was all over the place in the marquee series, managing just 31 runs in five innings at an abysmal average of 6.20 -- the lowest by a touring captain on Australian soil.

The subpar performances of these senior players drew considerable criticism, sparking speculation about their potential retirement from Test cricket.

Amid the scrutiny, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has said that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to make a strong statement with their batting performances to silence critics questioning their future in the longest format.

"Rohit, outstanding player of this generation, a great. Virat Kohli, great player of this generation. But a player does not decide their future, their form and selectors decide the future. People start talking wrong about you when you don't score runs, but you can prove them wrong by scoring runs, that is the only way I look at it. If they want to play on, they will have to make a comeback and score big runs," Harbhajan told Sports Tak.

"It is entirely up to the players to think that they are fit enough to play. They are entitled to think like that. I am not only talking about Rohit and Virat particularly, its your thought process which makes you want to play and play good. But, when it comes to the point of selection, only the selectors can decide," he added.

on Saturday (January 11), the BCCI conducted a review meeting of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India lost 1-3 at the hands of Australia. The series preceded another 0-3 clean-sweep loss at home to New Zealand.

According to reports, the board decided against any knee-jerk reaction to the debacle that was largely blamed on the poor form of senior players.

Harbhajan expressed that their future would depend on the selectors' judgment but highlighted the need for impactful batting performances to reaffirm their positions.

The upcoming Champions Trophy is being viewed as a critical opportunity for the seasoned duo to reclaim their dominance.

India will open their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign on February 20 against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.