NEW DELHI: The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 witnessed an unusual statistical anomaly: Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc outscoring India’s batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. While Cummins and Starc amassed 256 runs between them, Rohit and Kohli managed just 221 runs, sparking concerns over the prolonged lean patch of India’s top-order stars.
Rohit Sharma, India’s captain and one of the most dependable batters, has struggled to find consistency in the longest format in recent months. Known for his ability to dominate bowlers once set, Rohit failed to convert promising starts into significant scores throughout the series, His dismissals in the series have highlighted the lack of decisiveness while approaching innings in the series before border Gavaskar Trophy against New Zealand at home we saw Rohit trying to dominate the bowlers from the outset but failed in executing it while in Australia he tried the conventional method of taking his time that to didn’t go as planned for the Indian skipper.
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Virat Kohli’s lack of form, meanwhile, has been a recurring narrative over the past few years. While he has shown flashes of brilliance in limited-overs cricket, his performances in Tests have fallen short of the high standards he set early in his career. In the BGT, Kohli looked uncharacteristically tentative, often succumbing to the relentless discipline of the Australian bowlers, this series has yet again raised questions about Kohli’s problems outside the off stump with a ball seaming of the wicket of the right-handed quick’s, Scott Boland exploited this weakness the most by getting Kohli to nick past many of his deliveries to the keeper or the slips.
The failure of Rohit and Kohli to anchor innings and build partnerships exposed India’s fragility at the top. Their struggles placed undue pressure on the middle and lower order, often leading to subpar totals.
In stark contrast, Cummins and Starc demonstrated resilience and adaptability with the bat. Their ability to contribute lower down the order highlighted India’s missed opportunities and added to the frustration of their bowlers.
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As India looks ahead to the upcoming series, the spotlight remains firmly on Rohit and Kohli and their performances with the Indian test side lacking experience their form would be crucial for India going into the away series against England in June this year.
Their continued lack of form raises serious concerns for a team heavily reliant on their experience and skill to dominate in Test cricket.