Ravi Shastri weighs in on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's future in cricket

Ravi Shastri, former head coach of the Indian cricket team, believes that Virat Kohli still has several years of cricket left in him. However, when it comes to Rohit Sharma, Shastri feels that the decision regarding his future in the game should be made by the player himself.

Both Kohli and Rohit have been facing poor form in the ongoing Test series against Australia, which has led to significant criticism from fans and cricket experts.

During Day 5 of the fourth Test in Melbourne, commentator Mark Nicholas asked Shastri on Star Sports whether he thought the series could mark the end of the road for the two Indian cricketers.

Shastri responded by saying, “I think Virat will play for some time. Forget the way he got out, or whatever. I think he'll play for another three or four years. As far as Rohit is concerned, it's a call. At the top of the order, you know, just feel the footwork isn't the same. He's probably at times, late in meeting the ball so it's his call at the end of the series.”

On the fifth day, India’s chase of a 340-run target was off to a disastrous start. Rohit Sharma (9 off 40 balls) spent considerable time against the Australian attack but was dismissed again by Pat Cummins (2/10), marking his tenth Test match dismissal by the Australian bowler. Kohli (5 off 29), unable to resist the cover drive, was caught at slip after an angled delivery from Mitchell Starc.

By lunchtime, India was struggling at 33 for 3, with hopes of a win fading fast. KL Rahul failed to score, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, though surviving longer, could only muster 14 runs off 83 deliveries.

This cautious approach reflected India’s diminishing chances of victory. Earlier in the day, Jasprit Bumrah had completed a remarkable 13th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, helping India dismiss Australia for 234 in their second innings.

Rohit Sharma, instead of playing his natural aggressive style, appeared to adopt a defensive mindset amidst his lean patch, which didn’t pay off. Meanwhile, Jaiswal also curbed his natural attacking instincts, even surviving a close call when a late-moving delivery from Cummins narrowly avoided an edge to the gully. Rahul followed soon after, dismissed by a ball that moved away late.