India cricket team assistant coach Abhishek Nayar defended skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid their lean patch and stressed on the need to “give them their space”. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy fast approaching, the form of the veteran duo is a major concern for India. Both Rohit and Kohli failed to fire with the bat in IND vs NZ 1st and 2nd Tests, putting the top-order in loads of trouble.
India coach wants to be patient with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the IND vs NZ 3rd Test, Abhishek Nayar advocated for the need to be patient with the duo. Heaping praise on the veterans, Nayar said they have been putting in the ‘hard yards’ and that even the best of the players undergo through tough times. He claimed that they will have more to praise about Kohli and Rohit sooner rather than later.
“The approach is great. I feel they’re putting in the hard yards. Sometimes, sometimes you’ve got to be a little patient, even with the greatest of players, and they can have tough times. I’m pretty sure sooner rather than later, we’ll have more to praise about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and everyone else as well. (We need to have) just a bit of patience,” he said.
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Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli – India’s big headache
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have seen a serious slump in form over the last two Test series. While the Indian skipper was a part of IND vs ENG series earier this year, Kohli played his 1st Test of 2024 in the IND vs BAN series. While Virat managed to get 99 runs in two games, Rohit only scored 43 runs in the series.
Things went from bad to worse in the series against New Zealand. India got off to a nightmare start in the 1st Test as they were bundled out for just 46 runs. Rohit Sharma scored 2 while Virat Kohli departed for a duck. There was some hope of the duo finding the touch after the 2nd innings as both batters went on to score half-centuries. However, that was not to be.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli flopped yet again in IND vs NZ 2nd Test in Pune, registering scores of 0 & 8 and 1 & 17.
Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in current Test season
| Player | Inns | Runs | Avg | 50/100 | Single Digit | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | 8 | 104 | 13.00 | 1/0 | 6 | 52 |
| Virat Kohli | 8 | 187 | 26.71 | 1/0 | 3 | 70 |
Test season starting Sep 19, 2024 vs Bangladesh
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