Deciding on Rohit and Kohli’s future and other tough decisions India will have to make after underwhelming tour of Australia

It’s been a season to forget for the Indian cricket team. At least as far as the Test side is concerned. Rohit Sharma and company were at an all-time high after outplaying the Ben Stokes-led ‘Bazballers’ 4-1 at home and winning the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC title. Mixed results in the tour of Sri Lanka were then quickly forgotten after whitewashing Bangladesh in both Tests and T20Is at home.

However, the historic 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand on home soil followed by the 1-3 series defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia have not only undone the positives from the first half of 2024, they will likely force the BCCI to take some stern actions. With India suffering their first-ever whitewash in a home Test series comprising three or more matches, as well as their first series defeat in the format against Australia in exactly a decade, heads are likely to roll in Indian cricket.

More from First Cricket News

Singh vs Smith: How South Asian cricketers are leaving behind Australian locals Down Under 'I feel Riyan Parag is the reason': Ex-CSK batter dissects why Sanju Samson might leave RR amid trade rumours

IND vs AUS | Let’s be real, India actually exceeded expectations against Australia

Here are some five tough decisions the Indian team will have to take after the conclusion of the forgettable tour of Australia:

Deciding on Rohit and Kohli’s future

The biggest talking point in the aftermath of the series defeat in Australia is the future of superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom are woefully out of form and are also in the twilight of their careers. Rohit’s legacy as a captain rests largely on his exploits in the white-ball formats – leading India to the final of the 2023 ICC World Cup and helping them win the T20 World Cup the following year. But his run as Test captain will likely have ended after suffering six defeats in his last seven Tests in charge, with senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah likely to be announced as the full-time leader sooner rather than later.

Both batters are also woefully out of form, and given their age, the selection committee and the team management will have to take a call on their future sooner rather than later. Rohit had “stood down” from the XI in the fifth and final Test in Sydney, and many believed he made his final appearance in whites in Melbourne. Kohli too appears a shadow of his former self after getting dismissed along the corridor outside the off stump throughout the series in Australia, and it remains to be seen if he indeed is the best candidate for the No 4 slot. The sooner India decides on their future, the better.

Impact Shorts

View All

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

Making Ranji/First-Class participation compulsory

The forgettable performances against New Zealand at home and in the tour of Australia will likely force the BCCI to make participation in domestic First-Class competitions compulsory going forward, even for superstars in the team. The manner in which some of the batters have been faltering, whether against spinners at home or against high-quality pacers in pace-friendly conditions in Australia, raises questions on the Indian batters’ ability to handle the rigours of the red-ball format.

Several experts and fans have been citing the example of batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who had played the Ranji Trophy as recently as 2013 – his final year as a professional cricketer. And if the likes of Rohit and Kohli intend to prolong their red-ball careers against all odds, they will have to prove their worth in the Ranji Trophy again before making another Test appearance.

Firing a warning at Gill, Rahul among others

It’s not just Rohit and Kohli who underperformed with the bat. Barring opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and later wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, none of the batters really stood up to the occasion or were consistent enough. Shubman Gill got starts in Adelaide and in Sydney, but wasn’t able to convert it. Jaiswal’s opening partner KL Rahul scored 77 in the series opener in Perth along with 84 at The Gabba in Brisbane, but fell for low scores in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

Barring the second innings in Perth, the Indian batting order failed to click as a unit throughout the series. And that is one of the key reasons behind India suffering a Test series defeat against Australia after a decade.

Urging pace department to step up

Senior pacer Bumrah, who is now the permanent Test captain even if the board is yet to make an official announcement on the same, was a major reason why India won the opening Test at Perth’s Optus Stadium and put up semblances of a fight in the remainder of the series. With 32 wickets at a superb average of 13.06, Bumrah deservedly was the Player of the Series.

And while Mohammed Siraj did finish as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the series with 20 wickets at an average of 31.15, he wasn’t consistent as the Bumrah and the rest of the team would have hoped, especially during the first innings in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep were impressive in phases, the former all the more so on debut, but none made an impact anywhere close to the level of Bumrah.

Australia, on the other hand, hunted in a pack, and that made a difference. One could say India missed Mohammed Shami Down Under. But beyond Bumrah and Shami, India will need quality reserves in their pace department and will have to ensure there are enough match-winning options at their disposal.

Cracking down on superstar culture

Going back to point one, Indian cricket will have to cut down on the superstar culture that is prevalent within the team, even if getting rid of it entirely is easier said than done. One of the major reasons why Australian cricket has been so successful generation after generation is because of their ability to ensure no player becomes larger than the team or the game. And head coach Gautam Gambhir is someone who firmly believes in this philosophy and might be able to help with its implementation.