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India is taking on Australia in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 down under. However, the series is currently levelled at 1-1, but with Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test underway at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, all results are possible. With India needing 340 runs to win the MCG Test and take a lead to 2-1, senior Indian batters in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli once again failed to do the talking with the bat.
With a massive target of 340 runs to chase to go up in the series, India lost their skipper Rohit Sharma cheaply, scoring nine off 40 deliveries. Former India skipper and batting stalwart Virat Kohli also could not do much as he departed for a 29-ball five, leaving the pundits as well as fans calling for their retirement.
Ravi Shastri reacts after flop show of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at MCG
Amid retirement talks flooding for the two Indian batters, who have failed to make an impact in the series, except Kohli’s unbeaten 100 in Perth, former India cricketer and Head Coach Ravi Shastri also took a moment to speak on the same. On Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test, commentator Mark Nicholas asked Shastri on whether he believes that this could be an end of road for both.
To this, the former Indian cricketer replied, "No, I think Virat Kohli will play. Virat will play for some time, forget the way he got out today. I think he will play for 3 or 4 more years." "As far as Rohit is concerned, it’s a call. At the top of the order, his footwork isn’t the same. He is probably, at times, a little late in meeting the ball. So it’s his call at the end of the series,” Ravi Shastri told the broadcaster.
"But, having said, this Australian team want it badly. The captain wants it badly. The determination in his eyes was evident even when he was batting yesterday. He was not going to give it away," he further added.
It is to be noted that Rohit Sharma’s defensive approach and Virat Kohli’s unending saga of failures outside off-stump left India reeling at 33/3 at lunch on Day 5. While Rohit fell off Pat Cummins’ delivery, making it the tenth time in Test cricket, Virat Kohli was caught at first slip after Mitchell Starc pushed one across with the angle.
