Pat Cummins issues official statement on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma's poor form ahead of BGT 2024-25

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli are still seen as formidable opponents despite recent dips in form in the longer format of the game. Australian captain Pat Cummins also stated that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will pose a threat during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

Team India recently suffered a whitewash in the Test series against New Zealand at home. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma struggled in their performances, especially against spin. Kohli scored a total of 93 runs across six innings at an average of 15.5, while Rohit added 91 runs in the same number of innings.

During the third and final Test against the Kiwis at the Wankhede Stadium, Kohli registered scores of four and one, while Rohit recorded 18 and 11. Rohit and Kohli have dropped out of the top 20 in the latest ICC batting rankings. Kohli slipped eight places to 22nd, while Rohit dropped two spots to 26th.

We'll See What Happens - Pat Cummins

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Pat Cummins warned against underestimating Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli despite their recent poor form. He said that players experience inconsistencies in form over long careers. Cummins said that they can impact the game at any time, given their skill and experience.

"Hard to know, really. Every player goes through a kind of good form, bad form. If you're going to have a long Test career, you're going to have those little patches. Our job is obviously to try and keep the Indian batters as quiet as we can so we'll wait and see. Those two are obviously some of India's more experienced players, so we'll see what happens," Pat Cummins told Hindustan Times.

Rohit Sharma Might Miss First Test In Perth Due To Personal Reasons

Rohit Sharma might miss the first Test in Perth due to personal reasons. Rohit would lead the Indian Test side for the first time in Australia. The 37-year-old batter might join the team midway through the series. Given the team’s current struggle with form, India could be trailing when he reaches Australia.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir will need to select a new opening partner for Yashasvi Jaiswal. Abhimanyu Easwaran is looking like an option, but he has struggled against Australia A. Ruturaj Gaikwad didn't open in the recent unofficial Test, while KL Rahul, who opened in the second game, scored only 4 runs.

WTC Does Provide An Added Motivation - Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins emphasized that the World Test Championship (WTC) points add extra motivation to the series against India. Cummins said that Australia is eager to defend their title, having won the WTC in the previous cycle.

"The WTC does provide an added motivation. We won it the last time around so we're desperate to go out and defend that title. That is kind of the other layer to this series. Obviously, you're trying to win every single Test match, but there's also more on the line with the World Test Championship points up for grabs. It's something we talk about a lot; we've got this series against India and then Sri Lanka afterwards which are our last two series in this cycle," Cummins added.

Also read: Michael Clarke passes cold-blooded verdict on Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma's future in international cricket