‘Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma should retire if…’: Ex-India pacer makes BIG statement ahead of BGT series

Written By Pavan Naidu | Updated: Nov 04, 2024, 06:56 PM IST

Two of the Indian team's most experienced players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, received significant criticism from fans and experts for their underwhelming performances in the series against New Zealand.

For the first time, Team India experienced a whitewash in the home Test series losing 3-0 to New Zealand on Sunday. After this shocking defeat, the Rohit Sharma-led side will be hoping to come back stronger in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, starting from November 22.

Meanwhile, two of the Indian team's most experienced players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, received significant criticism from fans and experts for their underwhelming performances in the Test series against New Zealand. Former Indian cricketer Karsan Ghavri feels that the star Indian batters should consider retirement if they don't perform well in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

“Definitely, 200 percent yes. They need to score big. If they don’t perform, it’s time for them to call a time on their Test careers. If they don’t perform in Australia, Virat and Rohit should retire. They have done a lot for Indian cricket, but the team needs runs to win. We need to build a team for the future. How long will we keep players who aren’t performing?," Ghavri told Times of India.

He also stated that players who fail to perform should not be included in the Indian cricket team.

“If they perform, keep them; if not, why select them? If players are selected without performance, then bring in Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane. If Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren’t scoring runs, then who will score? In a country like Australia, you need experienced players who can occupy the crease, stay longer, and put up big scores. To beat Australia in Australia, you need big totals on the board," Ghavri added.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has announced India's squad for the upcoming  Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 series against Australia. 

India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

The first Test of the five-match series will be held at the Optus Stadium in Burswood, Australia, starting from November 22.

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