"Let's allow them to finish this series" - Aakash Chopra on whether BGT 2024-25 will be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's last Test series
Aakash Chopra doesn't want Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's Test future to be discussed during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar (BGT) Trophy 2024-25. He expressed hope about the duo and the Indian team doing well in the remainder of the series.
India and Australia are currently tied at 1-1 after the first two Tests. The hosts ended a rain-truncated first day of the third Test in Brisbane at 28 for no loss on Saturday, December 14.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener was asked whether BGT 2024-25 will be Rohit and Kohli's last Test series.
"Let's not say anything as of now. There are matches left. Let's allow them to finish this series. I hope they do well and the Indian team does well, and after that, they will play in the Champions Trophy if it's in the ODI format. They won't play if it's in the T20I format," he replied (15:25).
Chopra opined that India's road ahead might be dependent on their World Test Championship (WTC) final qualification.
"Then it might depend on the WTC qualification how you want to play the next cycle. The next cycle will start in England, and there you might want to ask in which direction you want to go. Do you want to go with the same set of players? Do we want to press the reboot button? Those are the questions you ask only after the series is over. Hopefully, it's not the last series, but nobody knows," he observed.
Rohit Sharma, who missed the first Test against Australia in Perth, aggregated only nine runs across two innings in the pink-ball game in Adelaide. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 100 in India's second innings in Perth but has been dismissed cheaply in his other three innings.
"There is no holy cow" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma not being questioned about his poor form
![Rohit Sharma averages 11.83 in his last 12 Test innings. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/033dd-17341746937496-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra was asked about Rohit Sharma not being questioned enough about his poor recent form and indifferent captaincy.
"We have been asking questions. Let's be honest, if you follow 'AakashVani', we have spoken a lot about it. There is no holy cow - nobody is. However, it's true for sure that you give a slight leeway to a player who has done well," he responded (25:30).
The cricketer-turned-commentator acknowledged that Rohit's lean run with the bat and defensive captaincy are areas of concern.
"You give him time but if he has scored only one half-century in 12 innings, you talk about it. Then you discuss it. He hasn't scored runs. There is a problem. There is pressure. His captaincy also looked very defensive. He allowed the game to drift," Chopra observed.
Chopra opined that MS Dhoni also used to do the same thing as a captain. However, he added that the former India skipper, unlike Rohit, did not have a potent weapon like Jasprit Bumrah as part of his bowling attack.