Ashwin, Rohit and Kohli's departure has shades of the Chappell-Marsh-Lillee exit in Australia, which triggered a long rebuilding phase...Indian cricket bears shades of the rebuilding phase of Australian cricket in the mid-1980s. R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli all played their last Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
In 1983-84, three Aussie greats played their last Test in the home series against Pakistan. With Kim Hughes at the helm, wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, premier batter Greg Chappell and pace legend Dennis Lillee, all called it a day after the Sydney Test.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Chappell made his intentions clear after the second day of the Test. Lillee echoed the same later that evening. Marsh made his unavailability clear for the next series before the conclusion of that last Test.
Who's that IPL player?Cut to 2024-25. Ashwin played the Adelaide Test and left the tour a few days later after not being picked for the third Test in Brisbane. Kohli's last Test was also the last of that series, in Sydney. Rohit's last Test, as it turned out, would be MCG's Boxing Day Test.
While the contributions of Ashwin, Rohit and Kohli in whites are of high value, all three were struggling in Tests of late. Ashwin's inclusion in away Tests was always in doubt when India played with a lone spinner.
Rohit was a Test cricket survivor and opportunist. In Australia, England and South Africa, his figures read 45 innings, one hundred and five fifties.
As for Kohli, his angular vertical bat pointing towards mid-on while deciding whether to play or leave deliveries outside the off stump was a painful sight Down Under.
India, however, will miss them. After all, it is not easy for a team to replace quality regulars and still retain composure and consistency. When Marsh-Greg-Lillee called it quits, Australia went through a lengthy rebuilding process under Allan Border. They won their first major series — the 1989 Ashes in England — four-and-a-half years later! In between, they lost to West Indies thrice, to England and NZ twice each, lost in Pakistan and could not beat India over a couple of series.
While India are expected to face a bumpy road ahead in Tests, the situation doesn't seem that alarming. To expect a Test series win against either South Africa, Australia, England or New Zealand won't be beyond reach — an unlikely plus from the mingling of world stars and young Indian players through white-ball cricket. Unlike in the 1980s, the young Indians are not short on confidence or in awe of rival teams either, an ethos drilled by the leadership of Kohli and Rohit.
The Greg-Marsh-Lillee exit void was certainly bigger than the current Indian one. India are expected to be served well by KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Shubman Gill in Tests, even though the five-Test tour of England is a tough assignment. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and coach Gautam Gambhir will have to tackle the captaincy issue prudently. The Aussies continued with Kim Hughes for seven more Tests before Allan Border replaced him midway against the West Indies in 1984-85.
India will have to name a new captain right away. When Rohit was not available for the opening Test, India won under Bumrah. When Kohli was unavailable after Adelaide's ‘36 all out' fiasco in 2020-21, India went on to win the series under Ajinkya Rahane. No one is indispensable, be it Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
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