While the odds are stacked against Rohit Sharma’s Team India, for the IND vs AUS Tests, still there is hope, if the skipper and Virat Kohli strike form. And so feels former England skipper Michael Vaughan. The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy starts on November 22 in Perth, and the visitors would want to defend the trophy once again, having done it twice Down Under.
Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli Emerge as Problems
Vaughan feels that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might not be in the best mental state to be able to overcome the challenges posed by Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon. The duo had been poor throughout the IND vs NZ series, especially against spinners, where Rohit averaged 10, and Virat 13.
“The one thing that India are going to require to win in Australia is Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli getting big runs and getting back to their best. I hope they do, I fear they won’t,” Vaughan told Fox Cricket.
IND vs AUS Tests from Nov 22
“I fear that they might just be over the edge and when you face an Australian attack that is up there with the greatest that has ever played the game in their own backyard, you’ve got to arrive here with solid technique and you’ve got to arrive with an amazing mentality,” he added.
“I mean last series (in Australia) they won, they had no Virat Kohli to chase down that target at the Gabba. Australia hadn’t lost a Test match at the Gabba in 32 years, but I will say there’s a real concern around Kohli. That full toss that he missed to Mitchell Santner, that’s not Virat Kohli. You’re looking at a player that’s just fighting at the minute,” he concluded.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
IND vs AUS Perth Test: India sans Rohit Sharma begin last mile of WTC Final Race 2025
Top Stories
