Rohit and Kohli have ‘Fallen behind’? Here’s what former Indian World Cup-winner feels…

Irfan Pathan believes that the struggles that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli faced were due to a lack of competitive action in recent times, as they both returned to action after a gap of over seven months. Both Rohit and Kohli failed to post decent number in the series opener in Perth.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s comeback to international cricket came with an immediate challenge, as they faced Australian pacers on an overcast pitch. Rohit Sharma had a short outing of eight runs, while Virat Kohli departed for an eight-ball duck. This lack of performance became a focus of discussion after India’s 7-wicket loss.

“We will never judge Rohit and Virat by their performances, and no one should as well, because they are great players. But you have to do the things that are needed, you have to complete the processes, you have to play matches. In this regard, they have fallen behind. If they had played some matches before coming, and shown some form, the team management might have thought seven batters are enough, and we can include Kuldeep Yadav. But now, since the team is unsure of the form of three players, it is not happening,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Despite the initial underwhelming performances by both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the first ODI, they will have a chance to come back hard in the second match in Adelaide, set to be played on October 23.