With both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling for game time since taking retirement from T20Is and Tests, the India A vs South Africa A One-Day series could help them get that.
Not many had hoped for pre-Diwali fireworks from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Perth, considering they were returning to the India side after a long eight-month break. They had just four practice sessions before the IND vs AUS 1st ODI. In all, the two stalwarts would get two more matches and probably 5-6 more practice sessions. But in about four days, both Rohit and Virat will go into another month-long break with no competitive cricket as both won’t be featuring in the Ranji Trophy, having called it a time on red-ball career. That raises the question: should Virat and Rohit feature in the India A vs South Africa A One-Day series to prepare for the IND vs SA ODIs?
The IND vs SA ODI series begins on November 30, while the last India A vs South Africa A One-Day match is on November 19. It will allow both superstars ample time to recover before the ODI series. It will also give them valuable match practice that they have been lacking.
Virat Kohli’s old demons
Amid speculations about their future, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made a return to Team India for the first time since calling it a time on Test cricket. There was fanfare in Perth and on social media. But Rohit’s return lasted 14 balls for just 8 runs that included a sublime boundary. Kohli lasted eight balls, and he could not find the gap to even open his account, managing his 17th duck of his ODI career.
Both expectedly looked rusty, with some nervous moments during their stay. For Kohli, his eight-ball stay was set up by Mitchell Starc like he did in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Kohli chased a delivery on the off-stump only to edge it to the backward point. In the Test series against Australia earlier this year, Kohli developed the new off-stump issue that was exploited six times in 9 innings. As a result, Kohli’s scores in Australia in the last eight innings since his century at Perth read 7, 11, 3, 36, 5, 17, 6 & 0.
Kohli’s former teammate and coach at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Dinesh Karthik, revealed his training sessions in London. Karthik said Kohli had “two-three sessions every week” in London. Is that enough in the lead-up to a tour to Australia, where he already struggled earlier this year?
While no one is doubting Kohli’s technique or his skills, it is imperative that the more matches he plays, the better he will get. The India A vs South Africa A One-Day series would be a great platform for him. He could get some match practice ahead of the ODI series against South Africa, as he would be on a month-long break at that time.
Rusty Rohit
Like his long-time colleague Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma too looked rusty. Even though he had a lot of training sessions before the Australia tour, at least in front of spectators, nothing would have been more helpful than competitive matches. Yet, like Virat, Rohit also skipped the India A vs Australia A One-Day series, even though both were on an eight-month break.
As a result, his scores in Australia in the last six innings read 3, 6, 10, 3, 9 & 8, an average of 6.50. He needs runs to get over that rut. In Adelaide, Rohit Sharma does not even have a fifty across three formats in 15 innings. While it is about time that he betters his record in Adelaide, post the Australia series, he would need some game time and the India A vs South Africa A series would help him regain that confidence before South Africa comes calling.
The question remains: would BCCI convince them to play the A series for some valuable game time?
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