"Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma are in the same situation as Babar Azam" - Basit Ali
Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has opined that Team India's star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are now in a similar situation as the Men in Green's ace batter Babar Azam. He suggested that both Kohli and Sharma will be facing the heat following their underwhelming performances in the recently concluded three-match home Test series against New Zealand.
Kohli scored 93 runs across six innings, while Sharma finished with 91 runs from six innings in the rubber. India suffered losses in all three games, bagging their first-ever whitewash in a three-match Test series at home.
Speaking about Kohli and Sharma's dismal form, here's what Basit said in a video shared on his YouTube channel (from 11:40):
"Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in the same situation as Babar Azam. Their form has deteriorated. We shall see who comes back to form first. I pray that Babar comes back to form quickly and Virat and Rohit score runs in Australia. Their confidence level is lower than Babar's at this time because he is coming back from rest."
Rohit Sharma was dismissed for just 11 runs in India's second innings of their recently concluded Mumbai Test against New Zealand. Basit Ali pointed out how the seasoned campaigner tried to release pressure by playing attacking shots after being hit on the pad off Mat Henry's bowling in the first over
The cricketer-turned-expert reckoned that Sharma's approach indicated that he was struggling with his form, adding (from 1:45):
"When Rohit Sharma was hit twice on the pad, he stepped out of his crease and hit a four. This means that his feet aren't moving and the form is not good. Yes, he did get a boundary with that shot but it showed that his form is not good."
Chasing a 147-run target, the hosts were bundled out for just 121. Rishabh Pant was the only saving grace for India in the innings, scoring 64 runs off 57 balls.
"Gautam Gambhir failed to read the pitch" - Basit Ali on Team India's head coach after the team's 25-run loss in Mumbai Test
India's team management rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the Mumbai Test against New Zealand. The home team had Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj as their two frontline seamers for the fixture.
Basit Ali stated that India's head coach Gautam Gambhir erred tactically by playing two fast bowlers instead of adding an extra batter on the tricky pitch. He remarked in the aforementioned video (from 1:17):
"This pitch was not for two fast bowlers. Gautam Gambhir failed to read the pitch. What was the problem with adding an extra batter?"
India will now have to win their upcoming five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series 4-0 to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC 2023-25) final without depending on the results of other teams.