The collective failure of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as batsmen and leaders during the three-match Test series against New Zealand has taken the fans’ anger to stratospheric heights. So much so that the pillars of India’s batting line-up, feared and respected by all in world cricket, have been ordered to ‘retire’ from Test cricket with immediate effect. Rohit scored 91 runs in the three matches at an average of 15.16. His highest score was 52. Kohli, on the other hand, managed just 93 runs in as many matches at an average of 15.50. Take out his 70-run knock in the second innings in Pune, Kohli piled up 23 runs in the remaining five innings of the series.

Rohit and Kohli’s dismal form was reflected in India’s poor batting performance in the three Tests. Barring the second innings in Pune, where Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant put on a record partnership to take India’s total past 450, India crossed the 200-run mark only twice in the rest of the series. They were bowled out for 46 – their lowest ever at home – in the first innings of the Bengaluru Test.

Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were the only Indian batsmen to score consistently in the series, but the contribution of the others was so minimal that India fell to their first home whitewash (in a series of at least three Tests) at home.

Rohit agreed that he was not up to the task as both captain and opener. He was dismissed by the pacers on spin-friendly tracks and the shot he played in the second innings in Mumbai to throw away his wicket just before the spinners came to bowl raised quite a few eyebrows .

Kohli was no better. His shortcomings against left-arm spinners were exposed like never before. Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel caught him off guard, beating him on both the inside and outside edges.

The sudden fall of Rohit and Kohli was a little too much for the supporters. Generally, those busy with the ‘best batsman’ debate between Kohli and Rohit called for his withdrawal.

There is a strong likelihood that the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia will mark the last for at least two of the four senior players: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, who are nearing the end of their international careers. , news agency PTI reported.

An informal discussion could take place between BCCI bigwigs and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit about the way forward for an aging team.

“Stocks will definitely be taken and could be informal in nature as the team leaves for Australia on November 10. But that was a huge disappointment, but with the Aussie series around the corner and the squad already announced, there won’t be any. repairs,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.