Team India captain Rohit Sharma with Virat Kohli after India won the T20 World Cup. (X | BCCI)
Irfan Pathan on Saturday backed stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to find form in the upcoming Champions Trophy, asking fans not to conflate their recent Test match struggles with their white-ball prospects.
“They’ll start scoring runs in white-ball cricket; there’s no doubt about that. Test cricket is a different ball game altogether. Adjustments are needed, whether it’s Virat managing deliveries outside the off-stump or Rohit finding his rhythm. ODI is their favourite format, and they’ll bounce back strongly,” he said.
Rohit and Virat haven’t had the best of times in red-ball cricket recently with India losing the Border Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in 10 years as both batters failed to spark into life. Having played only three Tests in the tour, Rohit averaged 6.20, while Kohli, despite scoring an unbeaten century in Perth, also failed to impress, scoring at 23.75.
Before that, India would also lose 3-0 to New Zealand in their own backyard, marking a new low for the Test team. In this series, Rohit scored just 91 runs in 6 innings at an average 15.16 while Kohli notched up just 93 in 6 innings with an average of 15.50.
Last week, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar had said the team management will assess ‘where everyone is’ after the Champions Trophy.
While Rohit has dismissed any talks over his retirement after being left out of the Sydney Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, there have also been questions over Kohli’s position in the team as the two superstars battle for form.
Asked about the transition phase, Agarkar said: “It’s a month away from the Champions Trophy. These guys have been exceptional performers in one-day cricket… We’ll see once the Champions Trophy is done, we’ve got a bit more time to sit and assess where everyone is. Not just one of the players but where we go forward. But at the moment, the focus is on one-day cricket and Champions Trophy.”
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