'What happened against New Zealand, Australia?' Gavaskar shuts down claims Kohli, Rohit would've changed India’s fate
Sunil avaskar firmly rejected the theory that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would have changed India’s fate
Amid the uproar over India’s second home whitewash in 12 months, a section of experts questioned whether it was necessary for the team management and selectors to move on from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and begin a transition phase with a young core led by Shubman Gill. The debate stemmed from the batting unit’s inexperience against the South African attack, which contributed to India’s 408-run defeat in the final Test in Guwahati earlier this week.
However, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar hit back at the critics, defending the team management and selectors once again, as he issued a sharp reminder of what happened during the home series against New Zealand in November 2024, followed by the tour of Australia.
Despite the presence of the two stalwarts, along with Ravichandran Ashwin, India had lost 0-3 to the Black Caps last year, their first home Test series defeat in 12 years. In Australia, India won just one game, conceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in nearly a decade.
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Speaking to Aaj Tak, Gavaskar firmly rejected the theory that Kohli and Rohit would have changed India’s fate, stressing that even they wouldn't have been able to rescue the team against South Africa.
"No, the call to take retirements must have been their call. Probably they might have been asked to consider their future. But we can't say that had they been here, we would have won. They were there when we lost to New Zealand. What happened when they were there? We lost 0-3, no? Then what happened in Australia? We should not be thinking on these lines. No, we can't be thinking whether we pushed them to retirement. That is the wrong way to approach this," he said.
Ashwin had retired from international cricket midway through the series in Australia, while Kohli and Rohit drew curtains on their Test career in May earlier this year. The latter two remain active in ODI format and will be back in action in the upcoming three-match ODI series against the Proteas, which will get underway from November 30 onwards in Ranchi.
