Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli reportedly refused Ajit Agarkar’s request to play domestic cricket. A media report claims that the chief selector requested Kohli and Rohit to play Duleep Trophy matches ahead of the New Zealand series, but they did not citing lack of motivation. During the NZ series, most plaudits reckoned lack of match practice and poor shot selection led to India’s downfall. As per a report in the Indian Express, a Duleep match was planned for the senior statesman in Bengaluru and Anantapur between September 5 and 22 for better match practice. 

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Former India great Sunil Gavaskar cited the same reason for India’s batting downfall.

‘They should have had some practice’

“They should have had some practice, definitely. It’s a long gap. I know we beat Bangladesh and therefore, it looked as if it was going to be a cakewalk against New Zealand,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar told The Indian Express on Sunday. “But New Zealand, obviously, had a better attack, with cricketers who have played in India and in the IPL , who have a sense of what Indian pitches do,” he said.

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NUMBERS DON’T LIE

Both Rohit and Kohli have not had the best of times in red-ball cricket. In 10 innings this year, Kohli, who is a modern-day great, has amassed only 192 runs at 21.33. This has certainly been one of his worst seasons. Kohli has merely one fifty in these games. On the other hand, the Indian captain has scored 533 runs in 19 innings this year at 28.05. Only 42 of those runs came in the series against Bangladesh in September, his second-worst show in a contest at home and worst in nine years