All good things comes to an end. India's streak of 18 consecutive unbeaten Test series at home ended. The record of not getting whitewashed 3-0 at home in a Test series is also now a thing of past. And now, focus shifts on the stalwarts whose Test careers might be quickly heading towards the imminent end. (Report | More Cricket News)
The mighty Indians were humbled 3-0 by New Zealand at home and while the batting effort by almost everyone left a lot to be desired, two men stood out with their poor show: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The two architects of India's 12-year-long unbeaten run at home, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, too are under scanner.
All the four players are on the wrong side of 30s and with a loss as embarrassing as the one to the Kiwis, the clamour for change will grow. In fact, a report in PTI also stated that the team management might be planning to move past the quartet after the Border-Gavaskar Series.
Here we take a look at the recent form of the four giants of Indian cricket and how long can all of them survive in the Test arena.
Rohit Sharma
Unlike Virat, Ashwin and Jadeja who were all integral to India's unbeaten run at home, Rohit was a late addition. The right-hander only started to regularly play Tests when he found success as an opener in 2019. Apart from finding grand success on home soil, Rohit also did well in England.
However, after taking over as the captain, the form of the 37-year-old has dipped. Since becoming a regular in the side as an opener and before taking captaincy, he was averaging 58.48. However, since becoming India captain, Rohit's average has fallen to 33.97. This year, the average has gone further down to below 30.
Rohit taking the aggressive route in the New Zealand series also raised questions on whether he had stopped trusting his defence. If Rohit does not turn things around in Australia, it might not only be tough for him to retain captaincy but also his spot in the XI could be on the line.
Virat Kohli
Kohli has been on a downward curve for a long time now. In Test cricket, the right-hander is averaging just 32.9 in last five years. Runs are not coming and Kohli is finding new ways to go to the pavilion.
At his prime, Kohli was one of the most assured players of spin not just in India but entire world. Things have gone downhill quite quickly since then against spin, especially the left arm orthodox version of it.
Since 2020, Kohli has been dismissed by a left-arm spinner every second innings in India. His average at home against left-arm spinners since 2020 is just 23.
Kohli just completed 9000 runs in Test cricket but the 10000-run milestone might just remain a dream if he does not have a big Australia tour.
R Ashwin
Till the New Zealand series, it was impossible for a visiting bowler to outbowl Ashwin in India. However, the unthinkable has now happened. The off-spinner looked off-colour in the New Zealand series and it is not a surprise that India lost.
Unlike the records of Rohit and Kohli, Ashwin's recent numbers are still top class. The New Zealand series could be just a rare blip but with age not on his side and Washington Sundar emerging as an off-spin option, things might get tough for the 38-year-old in the coming days.
Ravindra Jadeja
The youngest of the quartet, Jadeja will turn 36 next month. He finished the New Zealand series on a high with his third 10-wicket haul in the third match.
Just like Ashwin, Jadeja's numbers too are elite with both bat and ball. In fact, Jadeja has been one of India's most consistent batters in the past few years. Very assured of his defence, the Saurashtra-born is still going strong.
Apart from being good with both bat and ball, Jadeja continues to be a live wire in the field. He seems to be in the best place when compared to the other three senior pros. However, a few bad outings and Axar Patel remains a like-for-like replacement.
