"Difficult to win if your main batters don't score"- Ex-Indian cricketer warns India over the form of Virat and Rohit ahead of England Test
The Men in Blue are all set to play the fifth and final rescheduled Test match against England starting on June 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. India are leading the series 2-1 already, but this match will be more important for Rohit Sharma and his team in terms of the World Test Championship.
However, if India loses that match, England will level the series and the path to the WTC final will become more difficult for the Indian test side. This match is important in both ways. But with a totally new-look English team, it will not be easy for India to win this match.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Partnership runs in all 3 formats of the game
— RageFrost (@RgF07) June 21, 2022
ODI - 4906 runs
T20I - 991 runs
Test - 940 runs
No duo have 1000+ runs in all three Formats, Can Virat and Rohit acheive the feat in upcoming England series? 🤔#ViratKohli𓃵 #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/rLy46CEmqw
With that, two of India's top batsmen are also struggling with their batting form. Skipper Rohit Sharma's and former skipper Virat Kohli's form has dipped in the past few months, which will put more pressure on other batters as well. So these two stars need to find a way ahead of the test match.
Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim believes that it will be difficult for India if Virat and Rohit do not score runs in the match. In a media interaction, Saba said that it would be impossible to win if these batters didn't contribute. He also highlighted the contributions of Joe Root and Ben Stokes and said that Virat and Rohit need to work like them.
Both these players are also coming off a dismal performance in the IPL. Virat, who played 16 matches, scored 341 runs at an average of 22.73, while Rohit couldn't score a single fifty in 14 games and scored 268 runs at a below-par average of 19.14.
The former Indian selector also stated that these two are the backbone of Indian batting and a lot depends on their performance. Rohit, who was India's highest run-scorer in the first four matches of the series, scored 368 runs at 52.57. But now he is struggling with his form.
On the other hand, the former Indian skipper, who has reached a 100-run mark since November 2019, scored 218 runs in the first four tests at 31.14. So it will be a big challenge for both of them ahead of the match because the team needs them to score.
Saba concluded the conversation by saying the coach need to work with them. He said, "However big the coach might be, a coach can only help you to a certain extent, you only have to go and bat in the middle according to your strengths."