Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes India's batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need time to adjust to face Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood on Australian conditions, citing that a couple of nets sessions were never going to make the task easy.
Rohit and Virat returned to the international circuit for the first time after more than six months since lifting the Champions Trophy title on March 9. The duo returned to competitive action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and were expected to tour with India for the five-match Test series in England in June.
For the preparation of the tour, Rohit used to sweat it out in the gym while engaging in solo practice sessions. Even Virat was spotted training in London during the buildup to the series.
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
On their return on Sunday in the first ODI, the duo flopped with Rohit posting 8(14), while Virat returned with an eight-ball duck.
"Facing Starc and Hazelwood at Perth after just 3 to 4 days of nets is never going to be easy. Both batsmen and bowlers need time to adjust," Kaif wrote on X as Shubman Gill's ODI captaincy stint began with a defeat.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was of the similar thought and said on his YouTube channel: 'For their good, I think they can focus a bit more on preparation, especially in terms of playing games before going on tours, but that is not entirely in the hands of players, it needs to be planned by the team management. This is too early to talk about Virat and Rohit, because there are a few more games. My only worry for them is can they get more game time?'
© 2025