India’s Dilemma: Balancing the Rohit-Kohli Equation|

The series losses at home to New Zealand and the just-concluded away series to Australia have thrown Indian cricket into a tizzy. The developments may now precipitate some long-needed decisions that Board of Control for Cricket in India, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and selectors would have ideally liked to avoid till after Champions Trophy in March 2025.

Setting aside all issues from the latest series of tests, no one could have thought to not play Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma who played in India’s journey to at least the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and victorious in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

But having still played dud shows at Australia, where Kohli has managed only 23.75 and Rohit only 6.2 runs per game and that too crossing the marks of 36 and 37 years respectively for them now there is some questioning of their future stand in India.

It will not be an easy call for the selectors: whether to select the tried-and-tested combination or initiate the transition process ahead of the Champions Trophy. Interestingly enough, however, Gambhir was inducted only this August as the head coach of the team. Earlier on, in fact, he has been on both the sides of both Rohit and Kohli during the tour of Australia and also on Champions Trophy accounts as well in which they thought that they are good enough going into the fold to contribute toward winning causes. Their fate, now hangs by a thread because Gambhir reckons that “it is up to them to decide”.

While Shubman Gill has patently emerged as the possible number one in ODI batting order, apart from Rohit, another young versatile batter has cropped up in Yashasvi Jaiswal who just broke into the scene. He hasn’t played one ODI yet but is a left-hander and might prove to be a multi-format player going ahead.

The selectors can retain Jaiswal as opener back-up though they don’t know who he is going to replace. Rohit and Gill, so far has been one of the most prolific partnerships in ODIs cricket where their average remains 72.16. For ODIs Kohli is still the known performer.

That too had a subtle step at an open forum in discussing this issue with both Rohit and Kohli beforehand, much similar to when the issue had crept up before 2024 T20 World Cup that Kohli subsequently took and folded into the attack-oriented batting by the team. Leaving either before the Champions Trophy would be pretty drastic, more likely shattering.

India also needs to determine a successor for the ODI captaincy, post-Rohit Sharma. While Rohit has played an immense role in the manner in which India approaches games, it has been building Shubman Gill as the future leader of the side. He was the vice-captain on the tour of Sri Lanka and went well but attracted flak when he could not repeat the kind of performances there when playing Tests abroad.

All these factors may delay the selectors from replacing the leadership post the Champions Trophy.

Specialists vs. Multi-Skilled Players

All these years, Gambhir argues that the selectors have always been keen on multi-skilled players like Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Tilak Varma. Multi-skilled players provide depth and balance to the playing XI besides providing more bowling options without affecting batting.

The two most exciting middle-order batsmen are below 20 years of age, and that is Tilak Varma and Riyan Parag. They can also spin bowl and inject much-needed life in the field. Competition will be against specialist batters like Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who will be mainstays in India’s campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

It comes to the Indian cricket board at a crossroads. Decision-makers should ponder choosing to go ahead with the performing artists for the Champions Trophy, or begin making preparation with the core of juniors ready and in hand by 2027 to lead the nation at the ODI World Cup. One choice is continuity and the other one long-term development.

It is on January 11 that the selectors will meet hopefully clearing things. But one thing, however, is sure: the next steps that Indian cricket will take will define its future in the international arena.