Melbourne defeat brings fresh calls for Rohit, Kohli to exit test arena

India struggles in Australia, sparking retirement rumors for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid disappointing test performances.

Speculation that India captain Rohit Sharma and batting stalwart Virat Kohli are set to call time on their test careers has snowballed as the veteran pair continue to struggle in the five-test series in Australia.

India, who won their last two test tours in Australia, went 2-1 down in the series after their stunning defeat in Melbourne on Monday (December 30, 2024), with the hosts needing only a draw in Sydney to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).

Opener Rohit has just one fifty and 10 single-digit scores in his last 15 test innings, and even a move down the order failed to pay dividends for the 37-year-old.

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Under his captaincy, India have lost five tests this season, equalling their unwanted record from 1999-2000 under Sachin Tendulkar.

Kohli, one of the greats of the modern game, has not fared much better.

The 36-year-old struck a century in the opening test in Perth but had a wretched season overall with nine single-digit scores in 17 innings this test season.