Have to be fair to everyone

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has left the decision on captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test future solely in his hands following the conclusion of the 20204-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. The 43-year-old said the two senior batsmen will accept a call-up in the best interest of the team.

Like previous comments following their failures against New Zealand in home Tests, Gambhir said the duo still have the hunger and passion to deliver for the Men in Blue.

The comments came as India lost the fifth Test in Sydney by six wickets against Australia, losing the series 1-3 in Australia. This was India’s first series loss in Australia after the 2014-15 series.

Gambhir told reporters after the fifth Test (via Hindustan Times):

“I can’t talk about the future of any player. It depends on them too. But yeah, what I can say is that they’re still hungry, they’re still passionate. They are tough people and hopefully they can continue to move Indian cricket forward. But ultimately, as we all know, whatever they plan, they will do so in the best interest of Indian cricket.”

He added that preferential treatment for playing is not offered if someone has played more than 100 Tests.

“My job is to be honest with everyone. It’s not that I give priority to only a few players. But my job is to see all the players on the same page, whether they are making their debut or whether they have played 100 Test matches. “You have to be fair to everyone.”

How Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli performed in the BGT 2024-25 Tests

India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to deliver with India’s bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Rohit managed just 31 runs in five innings despite playing as a middle-order batsman and opener, averaging 6.2 before appearing for the fifth Test.

In his last 15 Test innings, he managed 164 runs at an average of 10.93, spanning a half-century.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli seemed in a bad mood except for his unbeaten 100 in the series opener in Perth. In all, he managed only 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75. The right-handed batsman continued to get out in a similar manner as he peeked outside the stump channel for 8/8 times in the series.

In his last 15 Test innings, he managed 359 runs at an average of 27.61, including a century and a fifty.