Follow UsFormer Australia captain Ian Chappell wants Virat Kohli to “stop his senseless antics” on the field and instead focus on his batting if he wants to prolong his red-ball career and do well in India’s next Test series in England later this year. Kohli struggled big time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which India lost by a margin of 1-3.
Kohli hit a hundred in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, but the match was already under India’s control by the time he walked out to bat. Apart from that, Kohli could only score 90 runs across eight innings. The right-handed batter kept flirting with deliveries outside off and got out nicking behind the stumps in each of his innings in Australia. Overall, Kohli has managed 440 runs @ 23.16 in Test cricket since 2024.
“Kohli’s experience in the UK would be invaluable, and of the two problematic players, he’s the most likely to be resuscitated. However, his consistency needs to improve in addition to dispensing valuable advice to younger players,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.
“He also has to stop his senseless antics like shouldering Sam Konstas in the MCG Test. If Kohli does decide to retire from Test cricket, the loss of both him and Rohit would leave a huge gap in the line-up for a tough tour.”
Rohit was even more terrible, scoring 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.2. The opener was so bad that he had to drop himself for the final Test in Sydney despite being the captain of the side. “For India, the two big question marks are leading batters, and the selectors have tough decisions to make regarding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“The soon-to-be-38-year-old Rohit, facing a crammed five-Test series against England in a few months, is a doubtful quantity. Although India are extremely reluctant to part with star players, lately Rohit has struggled technically, and his absence would provide uncertainty over the opening position and the captaincy.”
The five-match series in England will start on June 20 at Headingley and end on August 4 at Kennington Oval.