Sunil Gavaskar defends Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli; blames pitches for their Test struggles

Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has come out in support of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after their poor performances during the New Zealand series. Sunil Gavaskar highlighted that even the best of players go through bad patches, adding that challenging pitches are a reason behind their failures.

India secured a convincing 2-0 victory in the two-match series against Bangladesh, even with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's lackluster performances. However, they suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat in the recent three-match Test series against New Zealand, where the experienced duo struggled yet again.

Even The Best Of Players Go Through Bad Patches - Sunil Gavaskar

Speaking to the Indian Express following the shocking series defeat, Sunil Gavaskar opened up about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's struggles during the recently concluded Test series. Gavaskar said that luck plays a role in cricket, highlighting that sometimes the smallest mistakes can lead to dismissals.

"Even the best of players go through bad patches. These weren’t easy pitches to bat on in all three matches. Except, perhaps, the second innings in Bengaluru. Sometimes you need a bit of luck… like you make the first mistake and the ball goes only near the stump. Somebody drops a catch, a close LBW goes in your favor," said Gavaskar.

"All these things can happen. But when going through a bad patch, everything goes against you. Somebody takes a brilliant catch, you get a great delivery. I won’t read too much into it," he added.

Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli's Stats In 2024 In Test Cricket

This year, Virat Kohli scored just 250 runs in 12 innings at an average of 22.73 with only one half-century. During the series against New Zealand, the batter scored 93 runs at an average of 15.50, which is his lowest average in a home Test series in seven years and the second-lowest overall in his career.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, amassed 588 runs in 21 innings at an average of 29.40, including two centuries and two half-centuries. He scored only 42 runs in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Rohit added just 91 runs in three matches at an average of 15.16 against New Zealand.

They Should Have A Warm-Up Game - Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar was disappointed over the cancellation of the three-day warm-up game in Australia. He believes that warm-up games will help to acclimate players to the pitch conditions, especially for junior players who have never played in Australia, like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Dhruv Jurel.

"But they have cancelled the three-day warm-up game (in Australia). I really do believe that they should have a warm-up game. In the gaps between Test matches, they really should have warm-up games. Not necessarily for the senior players.

"But for the junior players who have never played in Australia before. For the Yashasvi Jaiswals, the Sarfaraz Khans, the Dhruv Jurels, all these young batters. Even against an Australia A team or a state side like Queensland. Juniors must be given the opportunity to get used to the bounce and pitches in Australia," Gavaskar concluded.

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