Ravi Shastri's golden advice for Rohit and Virat to rediscover form

Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of India, has suggested that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma return to domestic cricket to regain their form before India’s upcoming tour of England. Shastri’s advice comes in the wake of India’s 3-1 series defeat in Australia, where both star players struggled with their form.

 

Rohit Sharma chose to opt out of the final Test in Sydney due to his poor run of form, having accumulated only 31 runs in five innings. Meanwhile, Kohli, who began the series with a century in India’s dominant 295-run victory in Perth, saw a dramatic dip in form thereafter, with all of his dismissals either caught behind or caught in the cordon.    Ravi Shastri wants Rohit and Virat to play domestic cricket

 

Shastri’s suggestion aligns with head coach Gautam Gambhir’s stance, who believes that players should be available to play domestic cricket if they are committed to red-ball cricket. Gambhir emphasized the importance of playing domestic cricket for players aiming to rediscover their rhythm.

 

In an interview with the ICC Review, Shastri underlined the importance of fitness, stating, “Fitness is very important. There’s no substitute for experience. But for me, current form and fitness are very important as well.” He continued, saying, “The next six months are crucial, and while there’s a lot of one-day cricket, I will be watching the games closely, including the Champions Trophy and IPL. If there’s a gap for them, I think they should go back and play some domestic cricket.”

 

However, while Shastri’s suggestion seems logical, the packed cricket calendar leaves Kohli and Rohit with limited opportunities to play first-class cricket. The domestic white-ball season ends in the third week of January, and the focus will shift to the latter stages of the Ranji Trophy. Kohli and Rohit may only have one Ranji game to play, starting on January 23, as they are expected to be part of India’s home ODIs against England before the Champions Trophy.

 

An unrealistic alternative is for the duo to participate in the county championships during the English summer, but with their commitments to the IPL and Kohli's potential return as captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, this scenario seems highly improbable.